The Path You Follow
by EvilNekoEatsYourSoul
Summary: Sequel to 'The Bliss of Nights Forgotten' Kagome must embark on another quest to save the life of an innocent girl and discover the will of the Shikon no Tama. But can she succeed when the only hints to a solution rest in her vague dreams?
1. Prologue

"I would enter your sleep if I could, and guard you there, and slay the thing that hounds you, as I would if it had the courage to face me in the fair daylight. But I cannot come in unless you dream of me." -Prince Lir, 'The Last Unicorn'  
  
Disclaimer: Inuyasha does not belong to me in any way, form or manner. The creator of Inuyasha is Rumiko Takahshi. But hey, I own Yukiko. . . even though she isn't much of an exciting character right now. . . I'll work on it.  
  
Author's note: Well, here it is! I finally started working on the sequel to 'The Bliss of Nights Forgotten' I'm so happy ^_^ That story did a lot better then I thought it would. I never expected to get so many great reviews!!! I would have had this out a lot sooner if my muse didn't run away to get married to some stupid Popsicle stick in Vegas. Damn the both of them! I don't usually write from first person perspectives but I made the prologue in this manner so that reader's can get a feel of how everyone feels after what happened in 'bliss'. Anyways, read, review and enjoy!  
  
Prologue  
  
~Kagome~  
  
It started as it usually does. I'm walking through a cave, the only light is behind me where the entrance lies. As I near the end I can hear faint chanting. Curious, I quicken my pace and as I continue on the voice becomes louder. It is distinctly feminine and it seems to draw me in, urging me to come closer. The sound is soothing and it caresses my ears.  
  
Eventually I reach the caves end, there is a statue in its center and before it kneels a woman. Her long hair cascades down her back in dark waves. She makes no move to acknowledge my presence and I just stand there watching her back and listening to her voice that is steadily becoming softer. Suddenly, she turns to me. Her dark eyes catch mine and I am unable to look away. There is no emotion in those depths; her eyes are completely black. That is when the fear enters me.  
  
I cannot tear my gaze away from her eyes; I realize this as my heart begins beating erratically. Pain flares in my chest, my skin is tingling and I begin to perspire. By now my terror is growing, I know what to expect. This has happened to me every night for six months now. The real pain doesn't come until she smiles cruelly at me and speaks.  
  
"They say the eyes are the windows to one's soul," and the agony begins.  
  
The dark heat surrounded me as I threw my head back in a silent scream. No sound could be heard save for the maniacal laughter of my tormentor. Total agony consuming every inch of my body pure pain coursing through my heart; this was true death. I saw nothing but black and felt only the burning of my flesh. In my mind I could almost imagine the skin melting from my very bones. But that wasn't all; there was also the tainted feeling that lingered within me. A different type of agony that corrupted my soul and made me believe I deserved the torture I was now receiving. Even as my mind told me none of it was real. 'This is nothing,' I scream internally. Nevertheless, the pain continued. The unseen flames burning the tears from my eyes.  
  
Finally, after an eternity, a voice breaks the vicious cycle. The burning begins to fade as the darkness begins to clear. I welcome the light, opening my eyes fully to look into a pair of concerned, gold-colored eyes. I sigh in relief, willing my memory to banish the intense sensations I felt in my dream  
  
I offer my silver-haired savior a half-hearted smile as he puts his arm around me to aid me in sitting up. I lean back against the pillows and put a hand to my forehead, wiping the perspiration from my brow. Sitting next to me while avoiding my gaze he fidgets nervously. This time a real smile graces my lips as I speak.  
  
"Arigato, Inuyasha."  
  
~Yukiko~  
  
The sun feels good. Especially in the morning, nothing is better then being out in the morning sunshine. To feel the gentle rays warming my cheeks as I walk through the lush gardens of Sesshoumaru-sama's castle, it is bliss. There is only one other thing I would rather do. . . I can feel my cheeks heat in a blush as I near my destination. The basket I carry is filled with food. It's rather heavy and I carry it with both hands and let it hit against my knees as I walk towards one of the trees in the center of the garden.  
  
Placing the basket at the base of the tree I use one of my hands to shield my eyes from the sun as I gaze up into the branches. I call out to him, cursing at myself for sounding so timid. But it's natural, my voice always sounded so uncertain and afraid.  
  
"Inuyasha." I call out again.  
  
I watch as he jumps from one of the upper branches. He seems to almost float to the ground as he lands gracefully at my side. I am always awed by his strength, that jump would have killed any human but to him it's nothing. Perhaps that's why I prefer to be in his company; I feel safe around him. I look up into his eyes and am shaken from my reverie when he gives me one of those looks that says 'well, what do you want?" I smile and look away, trying to hide the deepening blush.  
  
"G-gomen, Inuyasha. I didn't mean to bother you." He shrugs and a knot of nervousness forms in my abdomen. I regret having been so bold as to come alone.  
  
"Feh! I wasn't doing anything anyways. So, what do you want?" I almost laugh at the tone in his voice. Even I can tell that the irritation and indifference is forced.  
  
"You weren't at breakfast. . . I thought you might be hungry, so I brought you some food." I hear myself say, motioning to the basket at my feet.  
  
Suddenly there's a pain in my chest and I instinctively wrap my arms around my ribs as I'm seized by a fit. My right hand goes up to cover my mouth as the violent coughs rack my body. The harsh sound fills the air, I can't breath and I soon fall onto my knees. I'm too distracted by the need to fill my lungs with oxygen to appreciate the fact that Inuyasha's arm is around my shoulders.  
  
The fit leaves as quickly as it came and I am left on the ground panting for breath. I close my hand around the crimson liquid dotting my palm. My coughing fits have started occurring more often. It wasn't this bad until I started ignoring them, the voices in my head. Kagome told me they are spirits that are trapped in my body. After I found out I made a conscious effort to block them from my mind and it seems to have worked. I try not to think about it. All I want is to spend the rest of my life here, no matter how short it will be.  
  
I know I'm going to die. Something is eating away at my lungs, slowly devouring my soul. I'm so lost in my thoughts I hardly notice that Inuyasha is holding onto the wrist of my right hand. He pries the fingers open, I forgot that he was a hanyou. He can smell the blood, there's no way to hide it from him.  
  
Our eyes meet and my heart beats rapidly, I wonder if he feels the same fluttering in his stomach as I do. But he looks away, his nose upturned as he sniffs the air. His eyes widen momentarily as he gazes up at one of the balconies. Turning away from me I hear him whisper 'Kagome,' before jumping into the treetops and running towards the room she shares with Sesshoumaru- sama.  
  
~Sango~  
  
It's been about eight months. Well, it's actually been seven months three weeks and five days, exactly. I don't count the hours; that would be insane. It's still hard not to cry when I think about him. Kohaku my little brother, the last member of my family; destroyed by Naraku.  
  
It's harder to move on now that Naraku has been defeated. I don't really have a purpose anymore. I just sit around Sesshoumaru-sama's castle all day along with the others. I need to be out doing something; anything to take my mind off the hauntingly dead look I remember seeing in my brothers' eyes. If it weren't for Kagome-chan I would have left this place months ago. I have no idea where I would have gone, probably off to some small village. Maybe find a husband?  
  
I doubt it. The chances of me finding a husband at my age are rather slim. So I let Kagome-chan talk me into staying. There was the promise of another adventure. But that seemed unlikely now. Both Yukiko and Kagome refused to talk about it. I think Yukiko-chan is afraid, and I can't blame her. Finding out that strange spirits take over my body when I'm not careful would probably frighten me to.  
  
But what about Kagome-chan? Surely she wasn't afraid. After all she had helped to defeat the greatest evil to have plagued our era. What held her back? Sesshoumaru-sama, perhaps? I still have a hard time believing they are in love. He seems so indifferent. I rarely ever see him even touch her. Not so much as a fond embrace or even holding hands. Nothing. If it weren't for the fact they share a room I would think they actually avoided each other. But then, there were times when his eyes soften when he watches her. He looks like he is almost about to smile. Still, I don't see how Kagome- chan can stand that type of relationship. Sesshoumaru is almost as bad as Inuyasha was.  
  
I shrug those thoughts away as I enter the garden. Sitting at the base of a tree with a sad, wistful look on her face is Yukiko. Walking towards her I see her hands rest on her lap with the palms facing up. The scarlet stain on her palm alarms me and I know she has had another coughing fit. I worry about her, she's so quiet and vulnerable and I know she tries to hide her coughing from us. She doesn't really fit in with our group. I doubt she has ever felt hate or malice, not like the rest of us. We were all bonded by the hatred we bore for Naraku, what bond does she share with us?  
  
I take her hand in my own and it strikes me that she must be lonely. I'm sure she can sense the lack of familiarity that the rest of us feel with each other.  
  
"Daijobou, Yukiko-chan?" I hear myself ask. All the while I wonder why she is sitting out here alone with a basket of food. She doesn't speak, just smiles faintly and nods. I help her to stand and we head back into the castle.  
  
~Miroku~  
  
Hmmm. . . I wonder where Sango is. My hand burns with the knowledge that I haven't touched her since dinner last night. It's almost noon and I haven't even spoken to her yet, much less groped her. I sigh dejectedly. Perhaps she is with Kagome-sama.  
  
I make my trip from the dining hall to the stairs leading up to the personal chambers. The two children are following me and I turn to speak with them.  
  
"Shippou, Rin-chan why are you following me?" I kneel down to their level. Rin smiles brightly. Such a cute little girl, she'll probably be very beautiful when she grows up. . . Anyways, Shippou rolls his eyes at me before answering.  
  
"Miroku no baka, we have better things to do then follow you around. We are going to wake Kagome up for Rin's lessons."  
  
I smile as I offer to accompany them. They shrug indifferently as I jog up the steps trying to keep up with their running. The thought of seeing Kagome in a rumpled and perhaps loosely tied yukata is an alluring one, maybe she even sleeps in the nude. . .  
  
I was almost disappointed when Sango stopped having to wear her tight fitting armor and Sesshoumaru-sama made Kagome-sama dress in traditional kimonos rather then the short one she had from her time. The children have stopped at Kagome-sama's bedroom door with their ears pressed against it. Standing behind them I too press my ear against the wood. I wonder who she could be talking to since her youkai lord left to patrol his borders early this morning. I listen carefully to the conversation from within. It seems to be Inuyasha in the room. Hmmmm. . . interesting.  
  
"Arigato, Inuyasha."  
  
"Feh, I didn't do anything. Just woke you up since you stupid ningens sleep so damn much."  
  
I can almost picture Kagome-sama's knowing smile.  
  
"Oi, Kagome. . . what were you dreaming about?"  
  
"I don't want to talk about it, Inuyasha. It's not really important."  
  
I could feel someone breathing down my back. Fear crept up my spine as I turned to find a rather angry taiyoukai looking about ready to have fried houshi for lunch. Thankfully, all he did was say one word.  
  
"Move." Like lightning, I was five feet away from the door in a second. I notice the children had acted just as quickly. I couldn't help but look into the room as Sesshoumaru threw the door open. Things weren't looking so good for my hanyou friend. On the edge of the bed sat Kagome with Inuyasha kneeling in front of her, their faces barely an inch apart and his claws holding her small shoulders. It was probably nothing, they were after all friends their position wasn't that intimate. Perhaps Sesshoumaru-sama would think that as well. He growled. Nope, things were definitely looking bad.  
  
~Inuyasha~  
  
She was having another dream. I can smell it, she smells like fear and rain when she dreams. I shake her shoulders and call out her name as she whimpers and shudders in her sleep.  
  
"Kagome!" her eyes open slowly. She sighs and I help her sit up. Leaning against the pillows, she puts a hand to her forehead and smiles.  
  
"Arigato, Inuyasha."  
  
Her gratitude is too much for me I turn away. Offering her the only answer I can without giving away my feelings.  
  
"Feh, I didn't do anything. Just woke you up since you stupid ningens sleep so damn much."  
  
I watch her through the corner of my eyes and she smiles again. Suddenly I'm filled with a need to know what scares her so much every night. I want to protect her from whatever it is. I'm curious to know what terrors haunt her dreams. In the back of my mind an image of her winking at me and saying 'Curiosity killed the cat,' pops up. I remember her saying that to me once. I ask, knowing she won't answer.  
  
"Oi, Kagome. . . what were you dreaming about?"  
  
This time she is the one to look away. She moves to sit next to me at the edge of the bed she shares with my brother. I wince, thinking that this is where they spend most of their time together.  
  
"I don't want to talk about it, Inuyasha. It's not really important."  
  
There are a lot of things I want to say. I want to tell her it is important because it's frightening her. Also, I'd like to let her know that I'd do anything in my power to stop whatever it was. I move from the bed to kneel in front of her so that she will meet my gaze. Still, she looks away. I grasp her seemingly frail shoulders in my claws and bring my face close to hers. Our breath mingles and I can smell her crisp fresh scent mixed in with Sesshoumaru's.  
  
"Kagome, it is important. Why won't you tell me? Why won't you talk to any of us about it?" as the words leave my mouth I hear scrambling outside her door. Before I can move the door is thrown open and Sesshoumaru steps in.  
  
Realizing the compromising position we are in, I stand to face my brother. He is furious. He always is when he catches me alone with Kagome. His voice is it's usual cold tone.  
  
"Inuyasha, come with me." I glance at Kagome who shrugs. When I turn to face him again he isn't looking at me anymore. His eyes are on Kagome and she's returning his glare. Then, he turns suddenly on his heel and walks out. I follow him, wondering 'what the hell does he want now?'  
  
~Sesshoumaru~  
  
I honestly didn't know what to think. There was Kagome, her face much too close to my brother's. Of course I already knew he was in there, I had sensed him in there from the moment I entered my castle. But I didn't expect to find them in such an intimate position. As if they were just about to kiss.  
  
But, of course, I knew Kagome would never betray me. Is that logic or just male pride? It doesn't matter. I know Kagome loves me. But there is another side of me, the part of me that curses and growls. My animalistic side that was now saying 'hanyou is touching mate, kill hanyou.'  
  
I ignored it; well for the most part I did. Only a small growl escaped me. I've had enough of this. Every time I find them together it sends an unfounded sense of jealousy within me. It's about time I set the rules straight.  
  
"Inuyasha, come with me." The hanyou has the nerve to turn away from me to look at Kagome. I see her shrug and then she catches my gaze. She glares at me, the audacity of it! As if she has a reason to be angry with me? My anger deepens as I notice she is still dressed in her thin sleeping yukata, which is hanging loosely from her thin body. Revealing more then was absolutely necessary. Not wanting Inuyasha or the lecherous monk looking at her in her sumptuously messy state, I turn on my heel and leave the room expecting the hanyou to follow; which, of course, he does.  
  
I continue walking until we are both standing in the center of my courtyard. We face each other, and I draw Toukijin out from its sheath. My half-brother does the same with Tetsusaiga. My voice carries well, echoing against the stone surrounding us.  
  
"When I win this battle you will agree to keep away from Kagome. Is that understood, hanyou?"  
  
He answers with a growl and a nod as I lunge forward.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 


	2. Extreme Sibling Rivalry

The Path You Follow  
  
Author's note: Hi hi hi! Here is chapter 1 and just to let you know, I tried my best while I was writing the fighting scene. I think it turned out okay, but if you don't like it then you've been warned: I don't have much experience writing battles and what not so forgive me if it seems generic and highly unlikely even for a cartoon. Also, this was written at 3 a.m. so if something doesn't sound right let me know because I'm going to post this and go to sleep which means I only gave it a quick review and may have missed some errors. Please please please review! I know, I sound childish but ever writer likes to get reviews, right? ^_^  
  
Last time: I continue walking until we are both standing in the center of my courtyard. We face each other, and I draw Toukijin out from its sheath. My half-brother does the same with Tetsusaiga. My voice carries well, echoing against the stone surrounding us.  
  
"When I win this battle you will agree to keep away from Kagome. Is that understood, hanyou?"  
  
He answers with a growl and a nod as I lunge forward.  
  
Chapter 1: Extreme Sibling Rivalry  
  
~*~  
  
Miroku, Sango, Rin and Shippou stood in the courtyard watching the two brothers trade blows. They seemed to be equally matched at the moment as their two powerful swords crashed against one another. The advantage started to tip towards Sesshoumaru when he put his demon speed to use. Inuyasha, although quick was no match for Sesshoumaru's quick elegant movements. It wasn't long before the elder brother was able to knock Tetsusaiga from the hanyou's hands. Now all Inuyasha could do was dodge Toukijin.  
  
"I think Inuyasha has gotten faster." Commented Miroku from the sidelines. Sango nodded in agreement.  
  
"Yeah," agreed Shippou, "but Sesshoumaru-sama is still faster then him."  
  
The scene was nothing new to them; the brothers often fought out their frustrations with each other. Neither of them ever got seriously injured so they continued to let them fight, watching silently. After a few more minutes of dodging, Sesshoumaru was able to land a blow. Blood started to flow from the slash across Inuyasha's left arm. The hanyou put a claw to his wound and glared.  
  
"Take this you bastard! Hijin Ketsusou!"  
  
The attack was easily averted and Sesshoumaru sneered.  
  
"Is that the best you can do, hanyou?"  
  
Ignoring the taunt, Inuyasha sprang to his feet and made a dash towards Tetsusaiga, it lay a few yards away from him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sesshoumaru dashing towards him, he smiled. Stopping abruptly, he pushed forward on his right foot to leap towards his unsuspecting brother.  
  
"Sankon Tet'sou!"  
  
Sesshoumaru, not expecting the sudden change in Inuyasha's movement, or battle tactics was not able to completely evade the attack. Now both brothers were wounded, Sesshoumaru put a claw to his shoulder, where Inuyasha's attack had hit.  
  
"I see you've finally learned to use that brain of yours, Inuyasha."  
  
The taiyoukai's voice was calm, but inside he was seething. 'I let that pathetic hanyou hit me?' He decided not to hold back anymore. During his musing, Inuyasha had once again gone after Tetsusaiga. 'Can't have that now, can we?'  
  
Just as the hanyou was about to grasp the hilt of Tetsusaiga, Toukijin was thrust into his shoulder. He grunted in pain as he fell to the ground with the blade still in his shoulder. Sesshoumaru was panting now, his jaw was clenched in anger as he raised the claw not holding Toukijin.  
  
"It's time you learn to respect your elders," he whispered dangerously, Inuyasha glared.  
  
Fights between the half-brothers had never gone so far before and Sango and Miroku were beginning to worry. Their concern increased ten-fold when Sesshoumaru's raised claw began to glow green, meaning he was preparing to use his Doukasou.  
  
There was a gasp from behind the group of observers and an arrow whizzed past them. It barely missed Sesshoumaru's raised claw, but the purifying energy surrounding it burned the skin. The poisonous glow faded.  
  
"Sesshoumaru, let Inuyasha go." He yanked Toukijin from his brother's shoulder.  
  
Dropping her bow and the quiver of arrows on her shoulder, Kagome ran to Inuyasha's side. The hanyou grimaced and sat up, resting his weight on his right arm.  
  
"Are you alright Inuyasha?" Her hands were gentle as she moved them near his wound to see the damage.  
  
"Feh, I'm fine wench."  
  
Sesshoumaru's head turned sharply, a look of warning on his face. Inuyasha frowned and looked away.  
  
"I'm fine, Kagome. Thank you." She nodded and helped him to stand. The look on Inuyasha's face was one of utter exhaustion as she walked with him towards the castle.  
  
"Woman," said Sesshoumaru from behind them, "where are you going?"  
  
Kagome kept walking, not bothering to face the irritated youkai.  
  
"Where does it look like I'm going, baka?" Anger was apparent in her voice and it sounded like she might start screaming at any moment. But when she continued her voice was level, if not laced with annoyance.  
  
"Inuyasha's wounds need to be cleaned and bandaged. Wait for me in our room, then I'll see to your scratches; and don't even bother telling me it's nothing because I am going to check it."  
  
Without waiting for a reply Kagome continued on into the castle while Sesshoumaru stood, stunned outside. He debated on whether or not to follow her instructions. On one side he had his pride telling him that he would not take orders from a ningen woman, the other more practical side knew that disobeying one of her commands when she was in a bad mood was not at all beneficial.  
  
His ego was currently trying to reason with him, 'She called you a baka, of all things! You are the great Sesshoumaru of the Western lands. It's bad enough that you let her live after such an insult but to follow her commands as if she were Kami-sama is shameful!'  
  
Sesshoumaru thought that was a very good point until practicality spoke up.  
  
'True, she is just a ningen miko with no power over a taiyoukai such as your self. But unless you'd like to sleep in a cold bed tonight, I suggest you follow her directions.'  
  
As usual, practicality won out over his ego. That seemed to be happening a lot more lateyly. He had been through too much with Kagome to risk anything that might jeopardize their relationship. Which is why he was so uneasy about the relationship she shared with Inuyasha. It was something he could never have with her. They had traveled together, saved each other's lives countless times, known each other longer and he was Kagome's first love.  
  
It didn't help any when Sesshoumaru had noticed small changes in his brother that occurred when Kagome was near him. The hanyou's eyes would soften, his tone would be less harsh and he tended to smile more around her. Inuyasha seemed to have a sense of devotion that his youkai brother did not possess. While Sesshoumaru had no qualms about letting Kagome walk at the forests edge alone, Inuyasha always insisted that she have an escort. She never left the castle walls alone; if Sesshoumaru was not with her then Inuyasha went, even if it was just to pick herbs for Rin's lessons.  
  
Sesshoumaru pondered this as he walked towards his room. He recalled a time when Kagome had told him that Inuyasha had never really loved her. She had said that, when she looked, there was no love for her in his eyes. But how could she possibly tell for sure? He knew better then anyone else that emotions could be easily hidden with enough will power. The taiyoukai stopped in his tracks. Could it be then, that it isn't just friendly devotion that Inuyasha feels for Kagome, but actually love?  
  
~*~  
  
"You're lucky I got there before he used his Dokasou, otherwise the wounds would have been messy and you wouldn't heal as fast, ne Inuyasha?"  
  
The hanyou nodded grudgingly and tried not to wince as Kagome cleaned the wound. She wasn't being as gentle as usual. Despite her rough ministrations Inuyasha could feel himself beginning to doze off. It was his natural reaction to a wound, his body was telling him to rest so that he would heal faster. Kagome watched, half-amused, as he seemed to battle with sleep. He would open his eyes to watch her working on his wounds only to have them drift slowly closed again.  
  
"It's alright, Inuyasha. I'm done, sleep now." He barely managed a nod before falling into a deep slumber.  
  
Sighing in exasperation, Kagome stood to leave the room. When she opened the door a startled Yukiko stood outside with a guilty look on her face. The young miko smiled knowingly and a faint blush formed on the other girls' pale cheeks.  
  
"I just wanted to see if Inuyasha-sama was okay. . . I heard what happened from Rin-chan and Shippou-chan and thought you might need some help. . ." Yukiko bit her bottom lip nervously, avoiding eye contact with Kagome.  
  
"Well, he's fine. I just finished dressing his wounds and he fell asleep. You can go check on him if it'll make you feel better." Kagome shrugged and walked past Yukiko who nodded.  
  
'Now for Sesshoumaru.' Thought Kagome.  
  
"Kagome!" someone called from behind her, she turned to face the voice.  
  
"Hai, Rin-chan?"  
  
"Will Rin have lessons now?" She had almost forgotten about the little girls lessons. Kagome looked at Rin thoughtfully.  
  
"It shouldn't hurt to miss lessons this once. Besides half the day is gone already, why don't you and Shippou go outside and play?"  
  
The young miko-in-training cheered and ran off to go find Shippou. Smiling at the young girls energy, Kagome continued her stroll to the chamber she shared with Sesshoumaru.  
  
~*~  
  
Sesshoumaru paced back and forth on his balcony. 'Should I tell Kagome that I think Inuyasha loves her? If I do, is there a chance she will choose him over me? I haven't officially claimed her as mine yet, so she could. . .' these were some of the thoughts plaguing the mind of the great taiyoukai of the west at the moment.  
  
He was so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't hear the door open and shut as someone entered the room. It wasn't even until two small arms were wrapped around his waist that he realized the other presence in the room.  
  
"Kagome," he whispered. Before he could say anything else she spoke.  
  
"Gomen, Sesshou." The nickname stopped him from speaking; she seldom used that name for him. But whenever she did he was secretly pleased, although if she were to use it in public he would be irritated.  
  
"I didn't mean to call you a baka. I just. . . I don't understand why you get so angry with Inuyasha. I wish you two wouldn't fight so much."  
  
Sesshoumaru remained silent; he wasn't about to admit that he was jealous, not even to Kagome. While he loved her more then life itself, he would never admit to feeling an emotion such as envy, especially not when it involved Inuyasha.  
  
They stood silently for a while, neither moving. Kagome rested her cheek against his back with her arms still around his waist. His soft, platinum colored hair tickled her skin. But the smell of blood reminded her that he still had a wound to be treated. Reluctantly, she released him but she didn't get very far because he turned and caught her in an embrace.  
  
Sesshoumaru wrapped his arms around her shoulders and tangled his fingers in her ebony locks, holding her head against his chest. He placed a kiss atop her silky hair and buried her nose in the crook of her neck. Taking in her scent he smiled against her skin, pleased to find the dominant smell on her was his own earthy aroma.  
  
"Sesshoumaru, your arm. I have to check it."  
  
"It's nothing," he replied. Her not-so-elegant snort broadened his smile.  
  
"I told you not to say that to me."  
  
"That eager to get me undressed?"  
  
"That, Sesshoumaru-sama of the Western lands, is the first intelligent thought you've had all day."  
  
He pulled away from her slightly to place a gentle kiss on her lips. Anything else would have to wait because as soon as their lips met there was a knock on the door that was followed by Jaken's voice.  
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama, there is a messenger from the Eastern Lands here to see you."  
  
The taiyoukai opened the door to look at his very nervous servant.  
  
"Jaken, tell him I'm not interested in anything he has to say."  
  
"Ano. . . Sesshoumaru-sama, I did tell him that."  
  
"Well, then what is the problem?"  
  
"He refuses to leave until he speaks with you face to face."  
  
Putting on his stoic persona, Sesshoumaru looked back at Kagome who still stood in their room. The look he gave her was a promise that they would finish what they had started later and she nodded at him. Stepping on top of Jaken, Sesshoumaru made his way down to the courtyard to speak with the messenger. Leaving Kagome to help Jaken up and apologize for his behavior. He was convinced he would never understand ningen women.  
  
~*~  
  
There was a gentle hand against his cheek that woke him from his sleep. Slowly, Inuyasha opened his eyes, grabbing the slender wrist before it was pulled away. His vision was hazy as he lingered between sleep and consciousness. He made out long black hair that framed a kind face with gentle eyes.  
  
"Kagome?" The woman stiffened at the name and Inuyasha breathed in her scent. It was dark in the room, and he was glad of it because it hid the blush that started to tint his cheeks.  
  
"Gomen, Yukiko, I thought you were Kagome." It didn't seem to comfort her any, as she still sat rigidly in her seat. Inuyasha released her wrist and brought the hand to her chest, encasing the wrist he had held with her other hand, as if his touch had hurt.  
  
"Did I hurt you?" she shook her head in a negative answer before standing to leave.  
  
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," she said. "Gomen for waking you. Oyasumi nasai, Inuyasha."  
  
She left the room in a hurry, with her heart beating rapidly and the wrist he had touched still held to her chest.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Author's note: Here is an alternate beginning scene. It's the first one I wrote, but I opted for a more serious tone.  
  
Kagome watched from the balcony of her room as Sesshoumaru lunged towards his half-brother. Panic seized her and she did the first thing that popped into her mind, thinking 'Oh, Kami, he's going to kill me for this,' she yelled.  
  
"Osuwari!"  
  
Inuyasha cursed, falling face first into the earth and creating a crater in his image. In less then a minute Kagome had joined them in the courtyard. The fact that she went straight towards the prone form of the hanyou did nothing to alleviate any of Sesshoumaru's anger. He towered above her as she knelt next to Inuyasha and apologized.  
  
"Gomen, Inuyasha! It was the only thing I could think of to get you two to stop fighting. I can't stand it when you two go at each other's throats. We're all supposed to be friends here, not constantly fighting." Tears started to glitter in her eyes and although the reason for them was unknown to both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, they both felt guilty. She sniffled while trying to hold her tears in.  
  
On the sidelines Rin, Shippou, Sango and Miroku sat on the steps leading into the palace. They watched intently as Inuyasha tried to comfort the upset miko.  
  
"Feh, stupid wench. . . We weren't really gonna hurt each other. . ." however, he wasn't doing a very good job.  
  
Sesshoumaru on the other hand looked down at her uneasily; his eyes went from the group on the stairs to Kagome and back again. It would appear he didn't know how to handle the situation.  
  
"Well, that was kinda anti-climatic." Responded Shippou as he yawned and took Rin's hand. The two children ran off into the garden to play a game. Miroku and Sango stayed seated, wondering how things would work out. They both nearly fell over when the confused youkai lord spoke.  
  
"Kagome, stop crying." It didn't seem to have the desired effect. More tears poured from her eyes as she covered her face with her hands.  
  
'Well, it always works with Rin.' He thought dejectedly.  
  
"You baka, don't tell me what to do. I can" sniffle, "cry as much as I want to," sob, "you jerk!"  
  
The taiyoukai looked taken aback for a moment. Inuyasha glared at him.  
  
"Good job Sesshoumaru, now she's gonna sit here and cry all day."  
  
"Hanyou, do not speak to me in that disrespectful tone of yours. I can still kill you."  
  
"Hah, you can try!"  
  
Miroku, already getting bored with the situation, let his hand slip towards Sango. Just before he touched her very tantalizing bottom, a pal connected with his face.  
  
"Don't even think about it, houshi."  
  
"Sango, I wouldn't even dream of touching you without your permission."  
  
She glared and turned back to the antics of Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru who had both drawn their swords, again.  
  
With tears still streaming down her cheeks, Kagome stood and faced the two brothers. As suddenly as they had appeared they stopped. An almost ferocious glare came upon her features. Both demons stopped whatever insults they had been yelling.  
  
"WHAT DO YOU TWO BAKA'S THINK YOU'RE DOIING?" Kagome screamed and both brothers thought the same thing.  
  
'Uh-oh.'  
  
~*~THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO DID REVIEW~*~  
  
Aira: Wow, you were actually waiting for this? Sorry it took such a long time.  
  
spirit element: Don't worry, I wouldn't kill Inuyasha. I love him as much as I love Sesshoummaru.  
  
tessa3: I'm glad you liked it, I thought people might find the prologue boring or confusing. I guess I shouldn't have worried about it so much. ^_^  
  
Helen: Thank you for being my first and -as of right now- only MediaMiner reviewer! Also, thanks for pointing out the spelling error I'll try to catch that in the future. 


	3. Mortality

The Path You Follow  
  
Author's note: Here's chapter 2! Woohoo! Things are kind of hectic here with school and everything so it takes me longer to update. What really takes me a long time is the fact that sometimes I write part of a chapter and leave it on hold for a few days when I get busy. While writing my first story I made up a rule for myself: No chapter should be less then 6 pages typed on Microsoft Word. But, if you don't mind having shorter chapters then I could probably update more often. So give me your input! Thanks and please read and review.  
  
Last time: "Did I hurt you?" she shook her head in a negative answer before standing to leave.  
  
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," she said. "Gomen for waking you. Oyasumi nasai, Inuyasha."  
  
She left the room in a hurry, with her heart beating rapidly and the wrist he had touched still held to her chest.  
  
Chapter 2: Mortality  
  
~*~  
  
"See, Shippou? These berries over here are poisonous and they can give you a stomachache. The moss growing on this tree over here is used to make a paste that can soothe wounds. Are you paying attention?" Rin asked, putting her hands on her hips as she had seen Kagome do so many times when the older miko was irritated.  
  
"Uh-huh," replied the young kitsune who was too busy picking up acorns to notice that the miko-in-training was watching him. "You said tree moss will give you stomachaches."  
  
An acorn met with the back of his head.  
  
"Itai! What'd you do that for, Rin-chan?" said Shippou, rubbing the back of his head.  
  
Kagome watched the two children with a bemused smile on her face. Somewhere above her in the treetops was Inuyasha while at her side stood Sesshoumaru. As much as possible she ignored the two brothers who hadn't said a word to each other since the other day's mishap.  
  
"You weren't even paying attention to Rin!" the little girl yelled, pointing to her nose. Kagome sighed, 'she had been talking normally just a second ago, what happened?'  
  
A bump started to form on the back of Shippou's head and he sat at the base of a tree pouting. She was about to go and comfort the young youkai when Rin sat down next to him.  
  
"Gomen, Shippou-chan, I didn't mean to hurt you." The kitsune turned his head away from the little girl, but watched her out of the corner of his eye. She started to pick up a few acorns that were strewn around her.  
  
"I'll help you collect acorns." She said firmly, crawling around on her hands and knees looking for the big brown seeds. Soon Shippou, who had given up on staying mad at her, joined Rin in the collecting of acorns.  
  
"You two could really learn something from them," Kagome said, facing the taiyoukai at her side. She heard Inuyasha snort from his perch above her. Sesshoumaru remained silent, watching the interaction between the two children.  
  
"Rin has pretty good aim. Maybe I should start teaching her how to use a bow." Kagome chewed on her bottom lip as she thought aloud.  
  
"I'm guessing she's about ten years old now," the miko glanced at Sesshoumaru who shrugged. "I think she can handle it."  
  
Another shrug from the stoic taiyoukai and Kagome just sighed.  
  
"Feh, if she's anywhere near as stubborn as you are then it should be easy," Inuyasha shouted from his tree.  
  
"Oh, Inuyasha," Kagome called out in a sweet voice.  
  
"No, wait Kagome! I didn't mean-,"  
  
"OSUWARI!"  
  
Inuyasha fell to the earth, creating a decent sized hole. Kagome stomped over Inuyasha and headed back towards the castle. Telling the children to follow, Sesshoumaru went after her. Rin and Shippou lingered behind a little while to study the hole Inuyasha's face was planted in.  
  
"Sugoi! I hope Kagome-sensei teaches me how to do that too!" Rin said, sending a glance Shippou's way.  
  
The kitsune youkai fidgeted nervously and prayed that day would never come; he didn't like the way Rin was looking at him.  
  
~*~  
  
The lunch table was rather quiet as Kagome, Shippou and Rin ate their meal. Sesshoumaru had gone to his office as he usually did in the afternoons, Inuyasha was still sulking somewhere and Sango and Miroku had yet to make an appearance.  
  
Just as Kagome was considering the implications of Miroku and Sango both missing at the same time Sango entered the dining room alone. She was dressed in her armor and had hiraikotsu strapped on to her back with Kirara resting on her shoulder. Alarmed by the grave look upon the taijiyaa's face Kagome stood and met her halfway.  
  
"Sango-chan, what's wrong?" The older girl just shook her head and looked away.  
  
"Nothing, Kagome-chan. Don't worry, it's just that tomorrow is the. . . the anniversary of my father's death. It's been three years, and I'm going to go pay my respects at his and Kohaku's graves."  
  
Tears shone in Sango's eyes as she spoke of her family and Kagome couldn't help but feel guilty. Sango's family was gone, but she still had her family and she let them worry about her. It had been six months since she last saw her mother. Seeing Sango's sadness made her crave for the company of her family.  
  
'I should go visit them.' She thought to herself as she gave her friend a comforting hug.  
  
"It's alright Sango-chan. Would you like for me to go with you? I don't want you to go there alone."  
  
"Iie, Houshi-sama has offered to accompany me and he can perform a service for them. I feel guilty, waiting three years to finally have a proper ceremony. They deserve better then that."  
  
"I'm sure they'd forgive you Sango. They wouldn't want you to be so sad. I know my mom. . . she wants me to be happy, all parents want their children to be happy." Sango nodded as she turned to leave. But she stopped at the doorway and turned her head to speak over her shoulder.  
  
"You should go and visit your family, Kagome-chan. We are only human and our time with those we love is limited."  
  
"I know Sango," Kagome's voice was a whisper. Miroku stood just beyond the doorway and he bowed to Kagome before turning to leave with Sango following behind him.  
  
She turned back to the children who were still eating and had long since picked the food off of her plate. Sesshoumaru was standing there watching her. Wondering if he had heard what Sango had said, she ran to wrap her arms around his waist. His claws ran through her silky hair and he rested his chin on the top of her head.  
  
"I need to visit my family," she whispered into his chest. He nodded, although his shoulders stiffened at the thought of her being away from him. Abruptly, he released her from his embrace and gently pushed her away.  
  
"We'll leave for the well tomorrow morning," he said. Kagome only nodded, confused as to why he had pushed her away. Her question was answered when Inuyasha strolled into the room with Yukiko.  
  
"Make sure you bring back some ramen if you're going back to your time because this stuff is crap." He said, picking at Shippou's plate. He looked up at an irritated Sesshoumaru and his eyes widened a bit.  
  
"Oh yeah, almost forgot," Inuyasha said, sticking his hands into his sleeves, "some baka youkai from the East left this with me."  
  
The hanyou handed his older brother a scroll.  
  
"Another message from the Eastern lands?" Kagome asked, "Why does he keep sending you messages now? What it is about?"  
  
"It's about Rin."  
  
"What about Rin?"  
  
"He wants an alliance."  
  
"Stop being so vague!" Kagome pouted and Sesshoumaru sighed.  
  
"Remember the morning after you came back from the well when a messenger from the north came?" Kagome nodded as she answered.  
  
"He wanted to make some sort of an alliance with you through Rin."  
  
"The eastern lord wants the same thing." The miko looked confused.  
  
"But. . . I thought youkai, especially taiyoukai don't like humans?"  
  
"Precisely, which is why I would not consider it. They are both after something."  
  
Kagome looked thoughtful for a moment as Inuyasha and Yukiko sat and watched the verbal exchange.  
  
"They want father's lands." Inuyasha offered.  
  
"The Western lands cannot be gained through Rin. As far as any of them are concerned, you are the next in line for lord of the West."  
  
The hanyou's mouth hung open in surprise. Were his ears failing him or did Sesshoumaru just say he was next in line for the West? Kagome smiled at him, happy that they were not fighting at the moment.  
  
"Do not look so surprised, Inuyasha. After all we do share the same father."  
  
"Rin wants to go to the garden!" proclaimed the little girl who had long since grown bored with the conversation.  
  
Kagome told the two children they could play in the garden for the rest of the afternoon, Yukiko and Inuyasha volunteered to watch them. Actually, Yukiko volunteered and asked Inuyasha if he would like to join them. The hanyou had answered with a 'feh' and a shrug before standing to follow them.  
  
Left alone, Sesshoumaru took Kagome's hand and led her up into their chambers. Once the door had closed behind her, Kagome was in the taiyoukai's arms. His mouth came crashing down onto hers and she parted her lips willingly. Her small hands grasped at his haori as his tongue entered her mouth. Just as he began to untie her obi, she pulled away from his grasp.  
  
"Did you hear me and Sango talking in the dining room?" Her eyes held a soft look of sadness that made her look vulnerable. Sesshoumaru nodded silently, letting his eyes study the emotions flashing in her blue orbs.  
  
"We need to talk," she said, trying to convey to him the importance of her words without verbally saying, 'this is important.'  
  
His lips lifted in one of his rare smiles as he reached for her.  
  
"I think we've done enough talking for today."  
  
Kagome's eyes narrowed and she took a step back from him. He frowned, thinking, 'Have I done something wrong?'  
  
She looked away from him, staring at her feet. It didn't help that she hardly knew what she wanted to say. But Sango's words had struck something within her, 'We are only human and our time with those we love is limited.'  
  
'I am only human,' Kagome thought, 'but Sesshoumaru is a youkai.'  
  
Of course the knowledge had always been in the back of her mind, but they had never spoken of it. Not since she had come to live with him. Her eyes traveled back to him. She almost laughed at the confused look he was giving her. A small frown, almost like a pout was on his lips and his brows were furrowed in thought. Absently, he was running his claws through a tuft of his silver hair.  
  
"Aishiteru." She whispered, smiling up at him and stepping forward. He took one of her hands in his, liking the look of her tiny human hands in his larger claws. Bending slightly, he kissed the knuckles of her hand.  
  
"Aishiteru, Kagome."  
  
Her hands framed his face and she used her thumbs to trace his markings before guiding his lips to hers in a sweet, chaste kiss. Her worries momentarily forgotten, she took hold of his haori and led him to the bed.  
  
~*~  
  
There was screaming from inside the hut. Faintly, Kagome heard Kaede's voice from within. Moments later a flustered man exited from the hut, nearly knocking Kagome down. Behind her Sesshoumaru growled.  
  
"Kagome-sama!" the man bowed deeply.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked, pointing towards the entrance.  
  
"Please, Kagome-sama you must help my wife. Kaede-sama has already been up all night with her. . ."  
  
Nodding, Kagome turned to Sesshoumaru.  
  
"You can go if you want. I'll see what I can do to help Kaede-baachan and I'll go to the well tonight and come back tomorrow evening."  
  
The stoic youkai nodded and told her he'd stay near the village until she came back. With that he turned on his heel and walked out. Taking a deep breath, Kagome prepared herself and entered the hut.  
  
The metallic scent of blood permeated throughout the room making her want to vomit. It took Kagome a minute to compose herself before approaching Kaede. She kneeled next to a young woman who lay on the floor, panting and groaning.  
  
She put a hand on the old woman's shoulder.  
  
"Kaede-baachan, what can I do to help?"  
  
"Ah, Kagome." She said, standing and taking Kagome to the opposite side of the small hut, "I doubt there is much to be done. This young woman has been in labor since late afternoon yesterday and I do not know what is wrong. There is too much blood. . . We would be lucky if one of them makes it through the day."  
  
Kagome nodded and they went back to the woman. As gently as possible, Kagome moved the young woman's head to her lap and took her hand. She studied her face; even contorted in pain, the girl was pretty. Her eyes were wide with fear and her dark hair was plastered against her pale cheeks. Kagome couldn't even imagine going through childbirth; after all she was only 18. But then, the girl resting her head on Kagome's lap couldn't be any older then 16.  
  
There was nothing she could do for the girl but hold her hand and put a cool towel to her forehead to wipe away the perspiration. Never had she felt so helpless. Not even in her darkest moments when she had longed for death. Then, she had at least had control over her life to a certain extent, but now she had no say in the life or death of the girl and her child.  
  
So she stayed there all day, letting the girl squeeze the life from her hand and crying with her. Silent tears fell from her eyes as the nameless girl cried out in agony, the tears continued into the afternoon until the young woman passed out. In fact, the tears never stopped. They fell constantly down her cheeks as she sat in the small hut that was filled with the smell of blood and the sound of sobbing. That evening she pried the girl's lifeless hands from her own warm ones and looked upon the cold, silent child that had been brought into the world. It rested next to its mother, their deathly pale skin matching one another's in the faint glow of the moonlight.  
  
The tears continued as she ran into the woods surrounding the forest. Stumbling on tree roots and rocks, she fell to her knees and buried her face in her hands. Shaking with the force of her sobs she was still able to smell the horrid scent on her. Blood and death; it clung to her clothes and skin.  
  
Even when Sesshoumaru found her and took her into his arms she could still feel the icy fingers on her hand. They clung to her and she wanted to run away from them even though she was aware that they couldn't be real. She had left those chilly hands back in the hut. Even so, the tears didn't stop until late that night when she fell asleep within Sesshoumaru's embrace.  
  
The look upon the youkai's face was even more grave than usual as he studied Kagome's face as she slept. He put a hand upon her abdomen so that he could feel her rhythmic breathing. His eyes held concern as if he were afraid that the young miko in his arms might simply vanish into thin air.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Review Responses:  
  
Aira: ^_^ Well that answers part of the question about the Eastern lord. Sorry to keep you waiting for the update. There are just too many things and people keeping me away from my computer! P.S. -thanks for adding to my MediaMiner reviews!  
  
Helen: I'm glad you liked the alternate beginning scene. Usually I can't write anything funny into my stories either it doesn't go with the plot or I just can't think of anything remotely funny. I guess comedy just isn't my thing. Oh well, thanks for the review!  
  
Riomi: I promise I haven't forgotten about the evil spirits, the cherry and the kuroi miko. I'll get to them within the next few chapters. . . hopefully. In my outline chapter two was supposed to have like three more important events, but it would be way too long so it ended where it is now. . . So with my there is no telling when exactly I'll get to a certain point in my stories. ~*tear~* I'm so touched that you like my writing. I love all my reviewers!!!!!!  
  
Sesshi and Youko lover: I'm happy to hear that you like the story so far. I was really afraid that the sequel wouldn't live up to 'bliss' because it had done way better then I ever imagined it would. Part of the reason it took me a while to get this started was because I was apprehensive about posting just anything. I wrote the prologue alone about five times before finally deciding on what I posted. I'm still afraid that the sequel won't be as good as 'bliss' but I'm doing my best. Thanks for the review. ^_~  
  
RED HAT: Wow, you remembered that? Hehehe, yep everything you said in the review was accurate. There is a reason for making things the way they are in the story and I am planning to explain things soon. Right now on the side of my story I'm also creating all these things having to do with youkai society that I will be throwing into the story so eventually all should be revealed. . . About Sesshoumaru using Kagome, I never thought of it that way but I can see where you would come to that conclusion. I plan to clear that up later to. Thanks for the review and good observations!  
  
Tessa3: Whew! I'm relieved that the fight scene was okay and that you liked the alternate scene. ^_^ Yay yay yay yay yay!!!!! Sorry to keep you waiting for this chapter, I'd say 'hope you enjoyed it' but it's kind of a depressing chapter, neh? I'm so excited about finishing this story, now all I have to do is find time to write it out! Thanks for the review.  
  
Spirit element: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you liked my little venture into comedy. I just love saying 'osuwari' even if no one I know falls face first into the ground when I say it. . . Ah, well a girl can dream, can't she? ^_~  
  
Sweecenck: Sorry for making you wait for the update. I'm soooo very happy you like the story thus far and thanks for the review!  
  
EvilNekoEatsYourSoul: I was in a rather chatty mood so I made the responses a bit long. Heh, oh well. . . Oh yeah, 'bliss' has over 11,000 visits on MediaMiner!!! I'm sooooooo happy!!!!!!!! Yayayayayayayay!!!!! It makes up for having it erased from fanfiction.net, I was soo angry with them for a while because all my wonderful reviews were trashed. Anyways, now any lemons in any of my stories will be posted on my homepage (only for fanfiction.net). MediaMiner readers will still have lemons posted since it is allowed there. 


	4. Always a Dreamer

"'Sing to me,' she said. 'That would be valiant, to raise your voice in this dark, lonely place, and it will be useful as well. Sing to me, sing loudly-drown out my dreams, keep me from remembering whatever wants me to remember it. Sing to me, my lord prince, if it please you. It may not seem a hero's task, but I would be glad of it.'" -Lady Amaltha to Prince Lir (The Last Unicorn) ~*~I just really like some of the lines in the Last Unicorn so I'll put my favorites and some from other books every once in a while.~*~  
  
The Path You Follow  
  
Author's note: Well, I found some extra time so here's chapter 3. It's rather long but I just couldn't find a good place to end it. Also, we'll be going with the longer chapters with updates whenever I can manage them. Shouldn't be too bad, I'll try my best!  
  
To my fanfiction.net readers: If you're reading on Fanfiction.net then you won't get the lemon on the site. Mainly because they erased 'bliss' last time because of the adult content and it really pissed me off to lose all my reviews and having to post it all again. So now lemon chapters are posted on my home page, check my profile for that, I'll note in the chapter where the lemon would be.  
  
Last time: The look upon the youkai's face was even more grave than usual as he studied Kagome's face as she slept. He put a hand upon her abdomen so that he could feel her rhythmic breathing. His eyes held concern as if he were afraid that the young miko in his arms might simply vanish into thin air.  
  
Chapter 3: Always a Dreamer  
  
~*~  
  
"Mama! I missed you so much!" Kagome yelled as her mother wrapped her into a tight embrace. Kagome shed a few happy tears as Mrs. Higurashi put her daughter at arms length to get a good look at her. A frown marred the older woman's face as she looked into her daughter's eyes.  
  
"Somethings wrong." She stated. Although Kagome was smiling and definitely happy to see her family, there was a sadness and confusion in the deep blue pools of her eyes. It was so powerful that it made her feel a bit depressed to just look into them. This time the tears that fell weren't those of joy.  
  
"Oh, mama." She cried out and wrapped her arms around her mother again. It felt so right to be here in her era and in her mothers arms, she was convinced she would never grow out of her mother's hugs. Through her tears she told her mother about the young woman in Kaede's village. How she had felt completely helpless.  
  
Mrs. Higurasha smoothed her daughter's hair as Kagome rested her head on the older woman's shoulder.  
  
"Ah, Kagome you always try so hard to help everyone. But sometimes, no matter how wrong something seems and no matter how much we try, there just isn't anything we can do to stop it. Death is just a normal part of human life."  
  
Sniffling a little Kagome nodded her head in understanding. What her mother had said was nothing new to her; she had known all of that. But to hear the words from someone who held more years and wisdom then her was in itself comforting.  
  
"Now tell me Kagome, how are your friends and that man. . . Sesshoumaru?"  
  
The young miko smiled a bit and straightened in her seat.  
  
"Well, Inuyasha and him argue all the time and Inuyasha still picks on Shippou, but not as much as he used to. Sango and Miroku are the same as always." She said the last part with a smile.  
  
"Remember the girl I told you about, Yukiko?" her mother nodded, "well I think she has a crush on Inuyasha. Rin's lessons are going well and as for me. . . I'm in love, but you already know that."  
  
Mrs. Higurashi smiled.  
  
"I'm glad that you've found somebody you love Kagome. So when can I expect a wedding and grandchildren?"  
  
Kagome's mother laughed light-heartedly, but the young miko could only muster a half-hearted chuckle. Mrs. Higurashi noticed it and asked her if something else was wrong.  
  
"I just realized that I don't know if youkai marry in the same way we do. Why hasn't he ever brought it up, I wonder. Does it mean he doesn't love me enough to. . ." she let her voice trail as disturbing thoughts filtered through her mind.  
  
"Do you believe he loves you, Kagome?"  
  
A million thoughts were going through Kagome's mind. He said he loved her. But he never showed any affection towards her when they were in the company of others. He was protective of her. But they had never spoken of a future together. He was a youkai and she was human. He would always be who he was now, the seemingly young elegant lord of the Western lands, while Kagome would grow old and eventually die.  
  
"I know that he loves me right now, mama. But youkai don't age like we do. Will he love me as I change and get older and he stays the same? I don't know if he loves me enough to stick around for that. How do I figure something like that out?"  
  
Mrs. Higurashi held her daughters hand affectionately and stroked it comfortingly.  
  
"There is no way to tell for sure Kagome. . . How do I explain this?"  
  
For a minute there was thoughtful silence and Kagome just watched her mother. The source of so much wisdom for a majority of her life, if there was ever a problem mama could always fix it.  
  
"Love is kind of like a race," she said finally, "sometimes it's just a wild dash, a furious sprint that makes the heart pound madly and ends quickly. But it can also be slow and steady, drawing out for what seems like an eternity before coming to a long anticipated and graceful end. Only you and Sesshoumaru will be able to tell what kind of race you're running."  
  
"I still don't know, mama. Tell me, how did you know that you were really in love with dad?"  
  
Kagome felt an arm go around her and she once again rested her head on her mother's shoulder.  
  
"There was a time when I thought that maybe I didn't really love your father, Kagome. We didn't have the kind of love that made my heart beat rapidly and I didn't feel like I needed to be around him all the time. So while I knew I cared about him, I wasn't sure if it was love. Not until he left on a business trip to America. He would be gone for a month, but after two days I felt lost. I wandered around feeling like a part of me was missing. Then when your father called me on the third day I felt better. He called me from the Tokyo airport actually; he said that he didn't want to be so far away from me and I knew then that I felt the same. So he came back home and ended up losing his job, but we were happy. At that time I realized love isn't about feeling like you need that person to live, that is just infatuation. Love is knowing you can live without that person but not wanting to."  
  
Finishing her little speech, she turned to see if Kagome had understood but found her daughter had fallen asleep. She chuckled 'She's still my little girl, able to sleep through anything. I wonder if she heard any of it.'  
  
~Kagome~  
  
A strong breeze shook the branches of the trees surrounding the small clearing. At the center was the bone-eater's well. Next to it stood a woman, her long ebony hair billowing around her. The dark, frightening eyes that were now well known stared into the depths of the well.  
  
One slender, pale hand was held above the opening of the well. A cruel lifeless smile gracing the ivory colored lips as they parted in and the sound of chuckling wafted through the forest as the soft sound made the very forest quake in fear.  
  
Dark light tinged with purple began to flow from her outstretched hand. It formed a thick cloud around the enchanted well. She closed her fingers around her palm and formed a tight fist. The ancient wood of the well began to melt and collapse into the portal. There was a blast of dark energy that erupted from within the well. The dark haired woman turned to leave. In the center of the clearing was only the dark charred skeleton of a tree; there was no trace of a well that connected the past and present.  
  
~*~  
  
Kagome bolted up in her bed as the dream came to its end. She could still see the smirk on the woman's face as she left the bone-eaters well. Perspiration made her clothes stick to her skin as she got out of bed. Scribbling a quick note, Kagome left it on the dinner table on her way out the door. Tears threatened to fall as she said a silent prayer, hoping the dream meant nothing.  
  
She ran to the well house, hastily throwing the door open and not showing a moments hesitation as she hopped into the dry well. Relief flooded her as the familiar blue energy surrounded her, taking her back to the Sengoku Jidai. When there was steady ground beneath her feet she looked up into the star studded sky and sighed in relief. The well was still here, it was still capable of taking her back into the Sengoku jidai. She had nothing to worry about.  
  
As she started to climb up the walls a hand grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her the rest of the way out. The young miko threw her arms around Sesshoumar and buried her face in his haori, glad that he wasn't wearing his armor at the moment.  
  
"I was so worried, I'm sick of it. It happens every night, I can never get a break. I want to just sleep one night peacefully." she whispered.  
  
He placed a gentle kiss atop her head as he felt her arms squeeze tighter around his torso.  
  
"What happened?" he asked, his breath tickling her ear as he whispered.  
  
"I had a dream. The well, it was destroyed and I thought-," her voice wavered, "I thought I might never see you again. That I'd never see any of my friends here again."  
  
Sesshoumaru nodded his head in understanding and continued to hold her against him. It was at times like these he worried for himself as well as her. The way he felt, knowing she had come back here worried that she would never see him again, it made him treasure her even more. It wasn't even something he could explain, the deep yearning in him that demanded he keep her near him always. She did so many endearing things, showed her emotions so easily that sometimes he could barely suppress the urge to hold her tightly against him and never let her go.  
  
He sighed as she pulled away from him. Her hands rested against his cheeks as she traced his markings, it was something she had been doing a lot lately. Distantly, he wondered why she had a sudden fascination with his markings. Noticing the remnants of tears on her cheeks, he did the same to her, framing her soft delicate face in his large claws. He used his thumbs to erase the tearstains. They stayed that way for a moment, staring into one another's eyes and happy to just be touching each other.  
  
"Will you go back to your time, or would you like to go back home?"  
  
She smiled at the thought that Sesshomaru had made his home her own as well.  
  
"I left my mother a note, so I think it's okay if we go home now. I'll come back in a few weeks, right now I just want to be with you."  
  
He nodded and picked her up bridal style before hurrying off into the forest, heading west. She snuggled into his chest and whispered "Aishiteru," before falling asleep. He wondered at the fact that she had said it so suddenly. But he returned the affection as he kissed the sleeping miko's forehead.  
  
~*~  
  
The sun had just begun to rise as Sango made her way to the cave near the taijiyaa village. Humming softly, she easily passed through the barrier that protected the entrance and ventured about halfway in. Just enough so she could see the giant rock formation of Midoriko's final battle. Closing her eyes, she let the peaceful aura of the area surround her. This place had always made her feel relaxed and protected, like nothing could ever harm her here.  
  
From the cave's entrance she heard Miroku calling her.  
  
"Sango, if we wish to reach Sesshoumaru-sama's castle before night we should leave soon."  
  
"Hai, Houshi-sama. I'll be out in a second," she yelled back as she started to walk back towards the entrance. A breeze made her shiver as she followed him back to where Kirara was waiting with their supplies. Grabbing hiraikotsu and a sack she had brought, they both climbed onto the fire-cat.  
  
Sparing one last glance to the graves of her family and friends, she whispered a tiny prayer as Kirara took off into the sky.  
  
~*~  
  
The sun was just beginning to set as Kagome and Sesshoumaru reached the castle. Sango and Miroku had arrived shortly before them and everyone was gathered in the courtyard watching the sun's slow descent.  
  
The two children ran up to the couple and Kagome kneeled to give each of them a hug. When she stood again Shippou was perched on her shoulder and Rin was tugging at her pants leg.  
  
"What is Kagome wearing?" asked Rin looking curiously as the strange clothing. A blush formed on Kagome's cheeks. In her rush to check on the well she had forgotten to change into her kimono. She was still wearing her pink neko pajamas.  
  
"Did you bring me any candy?" asked Shippou, whispering conspiratorially into Kagome's ear, as if to keep it a secret between them.  
  
"Anou. . . I was in a bit of a rush when I left so I forgot all my stuff." Said Kagome regretfully, "but I'll go back in a few weeks for another visit and then I'll bring some supplies."  
  
Yukiko clapped her hands to get everyone attention and they all turned to her. She blushed a bit at the attention but made her announcement.  
  
"I believe that dinner is ready, minna."  
  
They all followed her inside and Kagome went up to her room to change into a kimono before dinner. Sesshoumaru went to the library to receive a report from Jaken.  
  
When Kagome was finally changed and sitting down with the rest of her friends at the dining table they all began to eat.  
  
"So, how is Kaede-baachan?"  
  
"She was alright, although I didn't get much of a chance to talk with her. . . One of the village women had a birthing problem." She left it at that, not wishing to think about the sad event. No one questioned her, as they were able to read her unease by the way she tensed.  
  
"So did everything go smoothly on your journey, Sango-chan?"  
  
The taijiyaa smiled at her friend and nodded.  
  
"Hai, it was a peaceful trip. I'm happy that I decided to go, I feel better about it as if it's really over and I can finally let them rest."  
  
"Ah, I'm happy for you, Sango-chan."  
  
The rest of dinner was pretty silent as everyone dwelled on their own thoughts.  
  
When everyone left to go up to their rooms and sleep, Kagome followed Inuyasha out to the garden.  
  
"Anou. . . Inuyasha. I wanted to ask you. . . ummm. . . Do youkai. . ."  
  
Kagome didn't know how to phrase it, she didn't think 'marriage' would be a concept the hanyou was familiar with. But how else would she say it?  
  
"Feh, spit it out already!"  
  
Her cheeks were flushed as she searched for the right words to continue. She stared thoughtfully at her feet as she spoke.  
  
"Is there, maybe. . . some kind of ceremony that youkai have to. . . to join them together. You know, like when they love each other, or something. . ."  
  
Inuyasha's cheeks were crimson as he too began studying the grassy ground beneath his feet.  
  
"I-urrr. . . Feh! How should I know? Why don't you go ask Sesshoumaru or something!"  
  
Kagome felt a sudden sting at her neck and immediately placed her hand over the spot that it came from. Taking her hand away she saw a familiar youkai in her palm.  
  
"Myouga-jiichan?"  
  
"Ah, Kagome! I was expecting that question."  
  
The flea youkai pulled himself from where he had been smashed against Kagome's palm. She brought her hand closer to her face so she could see him, Inuyasha stood silently at her side.  
  
"You are referring to youkai mating, ne?"  
  
The young miko nodded her head, trying to ignore the burning in her cheeks.  
  
"Well, when youkai join together it isn't like the ceremony ningens have. The two youkai perform a ceremony to share their youki with their mate. Their scents will mingle and become one that they both share. This is so that they can be in tune with one another and know where their mate is at all times and when their mate is in need of help. This is accomplished by the sharing of their blood."  
  
"What about ningens, Myouga-jiichan? If I wanted to become Sesshoumaru's 'mate,' I'd have to drink his blood?"  
  
"Iie, Kagome, they don't drink the blood. In the ancient days, symbols of power would be carved into the skin of the two youkai and as they went through the act of mating their blood would mingle. No ningen has ever gone through the ceremony."  
  
"What about my parents?" asked Inuyasha suddenly.  
  
"They were never officially mates, Inuyasha-sama. As you might imagine, ningens cannot endure as much pain as youkai so just the act of carving the symbols would be quite painful for them. But there's also the mingling of the blood. A youkai's blood holds the secrets to their youki and scent, when mating youkai share blood it can be painful beyond imagination. In some cases, one mate's blood is weaker then the other and so there is not much pain, in a few very rare cases the blood is rejected for unknown reasons and one of the mates die. Usually though, the blood mingles and the youkai's body fights it but comes to accept it eventually. Although it can take anywhere from a day to a week and the time spent while the blood fights that of a youkai's new mate is very painful. When your otoosan and Sesshoumaru-sama's okaasan performed the ceremony, it took three days for the pain to end. During those three days they were not capable of doing anything but writhe in pain and she was a very powerful youkai so I don't know if a ningen would even survive such an act."  
  
Kagome tapped the side of her cheek with her finger as she thought about the information she had just received.  
  
"So if a ningen did this, they would have the youkai's blood in them. Would that extend the life of the ningen?"  
  
"Iie, while the exchange of blood creates a strong bond between the two beings it would not lengthen the life of a ningen to that of a youkai. You shouldn't even think about it, Kagome! It would be painful enough for a normal ningen, but for a miko with immense spiritual powers like you it may be lethal for both you and Sesshoumaru-sama. Your blood may want to purify his darker youki and his animalistic youki might try to destroy you."  
  
"I see," she whispered, "well, I'm going to bed now. Oyasumi nasai."  
  
Myouga bounded over to Inuyasha and they both watched as she walked back into the castle.  
  
~*~  
  
After Jaken had left the library reporting that nothing important had happened during Sesshoumaru's brief absence. The taiyoukai just sat in his chair thinking about his relationship with Kagome.  
  
'She was so upset after that woman in the village died. But why? Ningens die all the time.' There was a slight jolt to his heart at that thought.  
  
"Kagome is a ningen." He whispered to himself.  
  
'So, one day she will die and I'll be left here alone. Rin will die also and who will be left? Just Inuyasha and Kagome's kit. I don't know if I can live like that, if it's hard being just a few days without her how could I live the rest of my life alone? I don't even know how long she'll live.'  
  
Absently, he traced the markings on his cheeks with a claw. His thoughts turned to Kagome's strange behavior as of late.  
  
'Why does she keep touching my markings?' he wondered, 'perhaps she finds them displeasing? Ningens don't have markings so perhaps they are unattractive to her.'  
  
The door opened slowly and Kagome entered, wearing a thin silk yukata.  
  
"Anou. . . Sesshoumaru, it's getting late. We finished dinner hours ago, everyone else is in bed already."  
  
She walked over to him and kneeled in front of his chair, resting her head on one of hi knees.  
  
"I couldn't sleep without you there," she admitted as he stroked her hair.  
  
"Shall we go to bed, then?" he asked, beginning to stand. But she stopped him, standing in front of him so that there was no room for him to get up. She pulled the sash of her yukata, pulling the knot lose and letting the soft material slide across her skin and fall to the ground. She wore nothing beneath it and he was able to study every sweet curve of her body thoroughly by the dim candle light of the room.  
  
~*~*~A/N: This would be where the lemon is. Nothing of too much importance in the section so if you don't read it you'll still understand what's going on. It'll suffice just to say they shared an intimate moment. If you want the lemon then you can read it on my homepage, sorry for the inconvenience.~*~*~  
  
Kagome fell asleep almost instantly as Sesshoumaru lay her gently on the bed. She lay on her back with her yukata open so that he could see her creamy skin in the moonlight. He rested his hand on her stomach.  
  
'The ningen woman that died. . . she was in childbed.' The thought struck him suddenly and fear crept over him.  
  
'Is it that easy for a ningen to die? They are too vulnerable, what if Kagome was with child. Could that happen to her as well, could she die? The birth would be even more difficult then usual because it would be a hanyou.' He shivered at the thought, the realization that he could lose Kagome to something that he could not even attempt to protect her from was horrifying.  
  
He refused to sleep that night, instead he held her against his chest and watched over her as she slept.  
  
~*~  
  
"She's blocking us somehow." Stated a cool feminine voice.  
  
"Obviously, but how? She has such a weak spirit it's hard to imagine she could accomplish such a thing against the three of us."  
  
Another voice joined the conversation.  
  
"We underestimated her, it was the same mistake we made with the miko."  
  
There was a snort from the other two beings.  
  
"She's just hurting herself, everyday she uses a little more of her energy to keep us silent. But her health won't hold out for long, not with the three of us fighting against the barrier."  
  
"But it isn't just her barrier we have to worry about, everyday we get weaker as well. The ruby, it's trying to absorb us completely; attempting to combine the three of us into one being."  
  
"It doesn't matter, I have a feeling that soon she'll let her guard down. Something is about to happen I can almost taste it."  
  
The voices fell silent as the night continued on.  
  
~Kagome~  
  
She was looking up into the branches of the Goshinbuku as screams filled the night air. The stars shone brightly in the clear sky past the trees. The dark haired woman walked slowly towards the village and the screams grew louder. Her pale skin seemed to glow although darkness seemed to pour out from the air surrounding her.  
  
The darkness spread from her footsteps as she entered the village. Youkai were everywhere and people were running about, a child lay motionless on the ground surrounded by a puddle of crimson liquid. There was a familiar voice and the woman approached the elderly woman wearing the robes of a miko. In her weathered hands she held a bow and arrow, taking aim at the source of the dark mist covering the ground.  
  
Her dark tresses shifted like silk against her back as she chuckled, her dark eyes bore into the miko. The arrow was let loose and flew smoothly towards the younger woman who simple raised a hand in the direction it was coming from. It seemed to disintegrate as it neared her. The only thing left was the arrowhead that fell harmlessly at her feet.  
  
Stunned, the elderly miko did not move, letting the woman approach her. A youthful hand touched a wrinkled cheek and the eyes, full of wisdom, widened. There was a gasp and a shudder before the figure crumpled into a mess of white and red cloth.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Reviewer responses:  
  
Aira: To be absolutely honest I had planned to put a lemon in the last chapter. But I really wanted to update and I couldn't write a lemon because my little cousin kept looking over my shoulder as I was typing so I just posted it without the lemon. But I did put one in this chapter to make up for it. Thanks for the review and hope you enjoyed it. ^_^  
  
RED HAT: Oh, I'm tempted to respond to all of your guesses, but I won't. I'll keep it a surprise. Sorry, but I'm not about to give away my secrets hehe. I already have an ending in mind so all that needs to be done is all the in-between. I'd say there would probably be no divorce amongst youkai, not only do I picture them as possessive but it jus wasn't accepted by society, not until recently and in Japan it still looked down upon even now. I know what you mean about Sesshoumaru not being affectionate. It's killing me! I want to write in all kinds of fluff between Kagome and him, but then it wouldn't go with my story and he'd be way out of character so I decided against it. Thanks for your long reviews I really enjoy reading them!  
  
Spirit element: Ah! My friends are so boring, one of them should fall every time I say osuwari! Hehe Thankfully, I don't have science although I do have English and math. Math isn't so bad, it's all my English essays that are wearing me out. ~sigh~ Oh, well I just have to make the best of it I guess, see it as good practice for writing my stories. Anyways, thanks for the review ^_^  
  
Helen: I just couldn't resist putting in that scene with Rin and Shippou and at first it was just there for no real reason but I've thought of a way to work them more into the story in later chapters. Thanks for your input on the chapters and for the review.  
  
tessa3: I know, I wasn't sure about the deaths in the last chapter. At first I thought I'd have Sesshoumaru revive them but decided against it because it wouldn't have such a profound effect on him and Kagome if they had lived. I'm just going to say that maybe Sesshoumaru can only revive those who weren't meant to die or died by unnatural means. There that explains why he couldn't revive the mother and child. But it's still sad, ne? Well, thanks for the review. 


	5. Requiem of the Miko

"I have so many dreams of you, that I may never wake up again. I sleep at will, exposing my life to love and to you, the only one that matters to me now." -Robert Desnos, "Poem to the Mysterious" (The original is in French, this was translated by Alkemygirl from 'The Wondering Minstrels' mailing list. Her translation was a lot more poetic then the 'official' translation and if she by some chance reads this, hope you don't mind that I used your translation.)  
  
The Path You Follow  
  
Author's note: Yay! I finished the Rurouni Kenshin fic I was writing so now all writing time will be dedicated to this story!!!!! I'm so excited, can't wait to finish it! Anyways, you people are wanting to know 'who is this woman in Kagome's dreams?' You all pretty much guessed that it was the kuroi miko. But even that is vague, ne? Because I haven't told you much about this dark miko. Well you'll find out soon enough, but I will say this: It isn't Kikyou. While I have nothing against Kikyou, she will not appear in this fic. It would just complicate things more and I've already made this fic confusing enough as it is. hehehe. Enjoy this chapter and please review!  
  
Last time: Stunned, the elderly miko did not move, letting the woman approach her. A youthful hand touched a wrinkled cheek and the eyes, full of wisdom, widened. There was a gasp and a shudder before the figure crumpled into a mess of white and red cloth.  
  
Chapter 4: Requiem of the Miko  
  
~*~  
  
The village was quiet and the sun was beginning to set when they arrived. Kagome was in Sesshoumaru's arms as he ran. Sango, Miroku and Yukiko rode on Kirara and Inuyasha ran slightly behind Sesshoumaru. The two children had been left at the castle in the care of Jaken. They had left when Kagome woke up, just before sunrise, shaking and blurting out that Kaede had been killed.  
  
There were no bodies on the ground, every building was in tact; it was just how she had left it the previous day. Her dream had been a lie once again. As they walked to the center of the village a few people came out of their huts, one man approached the group, bowing respectfully.  
  
"Kagome-sama, we are glad that you have arrived."  
  
The young miko smiled kindly at him and nodded.  
  
"Where is Kaede-baachan?"  
  
Again, the man lowered his head, but this time it was because he was avoiding her gaze.  
  
"She was found in her hut this morning, she appears to have died in her sleep."  
  
No one said anything as the members of Kagome's group turned to look at her. Astonishment was on her face as the villagers began to form a crowd around them.  
  
"Kagome-chan," said Sango a bit nervously, "what does this mean?"  
  
She shook her head, still unable to speak. Sure she had made them all come here to be sure nothing evil had befallen the village but she hadn't expected anyone to actually be dead. Could her dream last night and Kaede's death be just a coincidence? In her dream Kaede had been killed and the village destroyed. But everything seemed so peaceful. Kaede had died a natural death in her sleep, right?  
  
"Where is her body?" she asked suddenly.  
  
One of the villagers pointed towards the deceased miko's hut and Kagome headed in that direction. Pushing aside the mat that covered the door, she stepped inside. Everything was as it had always been, neat, organized and smelling of herbs. Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango entered with her while Sesshoumaru and Yukiko waited outside. In the center of the hut, Kaede's body had been laid out. A thin piece of cloth covered her and Kagome approached the older miko.  
  
Gently, she took hold of the cloth and pulled it away from her mentor's face. A few tears escaped her eyes as she though on how much the miko had taught her and helped her. The air surrounding the body was cold and it sent a shiver up her spine. Kaede's eyes were closed and the expression stuck on her pale face was serene, but upon either of her cheeks was a black marking in the shape of a sakura blossom.  
  
"What's this?" Kagome whispered, brushing her fingers against the cold cheeks.  
  
"What are you talking about Kagome?" Inuyasha said from his position behind her.  
  
"These markings on her cheeks, they look like flowers."  
  
"Kagome-sama you must be mistaken, there is nothing there." stated Miroku. Beside him, Sango nodded in agreement.  
  
"Are you feeling okay, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked her distraught friend.  
  
Again, Kagome traced the dark flower etched on the dead miko's cheek. 'I know it's there, I can see it. But why can't they?'  
  
"I swear, I'm fine and I'm sure I see the markings there." Her voice held conviction, but her friends looked uneasily at one another.  
  
She looked back at them, catching the doubt in their eyes. 'What's going on?' she thought to herself, 'Am I really just seeing things?'  
  
"I need to be alone," she said, standing to walk out of the hut. She felt the curious stares of her friends upon her back. Just as she was about to speak to Sesshoumaru there was a scream.  
  
Somewhere on the other side of the village there was the sound of wood being crushed and screams. Kagome began to run towards the sound, but Sesshoumaru grabbed a hold of her arm.  
  
"Let me handle this, you and Yukiko get out of the village."  
  
Before she could protest he dashed off towards the source of the noise, but he didn't have far to go. Already there was a cloud of demons heading in their direction. Inuyasha and the others headed in that direction leaving Kagome with Yukiko. Looking at her quiet friend, Kagome could see the terror in the other girls' eyes.  
  
It was best to run for now, Kagome decided. She grabbed Yukiko's hand and ran towards the bone-eater's well. Behind them they heard the sound of demon's tearing into buildings, the screams of the villagers. Also, she could hear Inuyasha cursing and Sango's cry of 'hiraikotsu!' as she brandished her over-sized weapon. But loudest of all was the screaming within Kagome's own mind, it was the same thing over and over again. 'The dream!' her mind said, 'Remember the dream.'  
  
~*~  
  
The clearing in which the bone-eater's well stood was calm compared to the chaos of the village. The screams barely reached the distance and a pale woman dressed in a simple black kimono walked around the dry well. Her hands ran along its wooden sides and she closed her eyes as she heard footsteps drawing near. A few seconds later two women ran into the clearing. One of them was coughing and wheezing, holding onto the arm of the taller girl.  
  
"It's you," whispered the blue-eyed woman who lowered her companion to the ground.  
  
Recognition sparked in the black-robed woman's mind.  
  
"You are the miko," her cold inflectionless voice said, "The keeper of the Shikon no tama."  
  
Kagome stood her ground, wishing she had a bow with her. Behind her Yukiko was still coughing and panting on the forest floor. In any case she wouldn't have been much help. 'She is the one, the woman from my dreams.' Kagome thought.  
  
"That must be the girl then. The one I gifted with the ruby all those years ago."  
  
Slowly, fear began to creep up upon Kagome. So far no move had been made against her, but if her dreams were to be believed she was just as powerful as any demon Kagome had faced. The miko stood perfectly still, willing her voice to remain steady.  
  
"You are the kuroi miko, the one the spirit's told me about." Kagome said a silent prayer to Kami-sama for not letting her fear make her voice quaver.  
  
The pale woman nodded once, the movement making her wavy tresses fall over her shoulders. There was a smile on her lips, but it never quite reached the dark pits of her eyes. Some memory stirred in Kagome's mind, the woman seemed so familiar.  
  
"You can call me Koridomi," she replied, "I was wondering when I would meet you and the girl," she gestured to Yukiko who stopped coughing when the woman raised her hand.  
  
In fact, the sickly girl stopped moving all together. She sat there, frozen. Kagome tried not to panic, hoping that her friend was all right as she turned back to face the threat before her. Speaking in a forced calm, Kagome began to move forward.  
  
"Please, don't hurt my friend. Just tell me, what is it you want from us?"  
  
The woman's hand went up and Kagome felt the strength leave her body, she was stuck in mid-step, like a statue. Her entire body was numb and the only things she could feel were her rapidly beating heart and her own labored breathing. She watched in terror as the dark-eyed woman walked slowly past her. The way she moved, it was graceful, ethereal as if she wandered through a dream and not upon the earth.  
  
She couldn't turn her head to look behind her, but guessed that the woman was approaching Yukiko. It was confirmed when she heard a tormented scream come from her friend's throat. No matter how much she willed her body to move, it would not obey. The screams did not last long and in a minute she was staring into the abyss of her enemies eyes.  
  
There was a cold burning on her cheeks when the woman touched her there, her icy palms resting against Kagome's flesh. Suddenly her body was no longer numb, although she wished it were. Pain flared through her limbs, she felt her eyes widening. A cold burning sensation consumed her she opened her lips to scream but nothing could escape. She thought of her dreams.  
  
Every one of Kagome's dreams had been terrifying and painful and yet, they were nothing compared to what she was experiencing now. But this time she didn't feel like her body was melting beneath the heat. She was fully intact, but the pain continued, lasting longer because her nerves weren't damaged. They still took in every painful sensation. The sound of cold, maniacal laughter filled her ears. She felt warm breath touch her skin. Her eyes closed and she felt herself falling.  
  
~*~  
  
"Where the hell do you think you're going you pathetic bastards!"  
  
Inuyasha's insult went unanswered as the demons turned away from the village, leaving as abruptly as they had come. Not waiting to observe their departure, Sesshoumaru turned and began to track Kagome's scent. His nose led him towards the well and he hurried into the clearing to find her laying on the forest floor with Yukiko kneeling beside her.  
  
"What happened to her?" he whispered, his voice deadly and his eyes becoming tinted in red. The usually timid girl stood to face him, but her eyes were an icy blue. Somehow, the spirits within her were once again loose.  
  
"It wasn't me, the kuroi miko was here waiting for us. She did something to the both of us, froze us so we couldn't move."  
  
Sesshoumaru kneeled at Kagome's side, taking her shoulders in his hands and shaking her a bit.  
  
"Kagome," he said, worry apparent in his voice, "Kagome, wake up."  
  
She didn't make a sound, instead her body hung limply in his grasp but he could hear her soft breathing and the steady beat of her heart. He shook her a bit more forcefully but she refused to rouse. Gently, he lay her back down and touched her face. Her skin was like ice. He removed his haori and wrapped it around her.  
  
'Stay calm,' he chanted internally. But the beginnings of panic were starting to form in his heart. He ignored the girl who stood behind him, watching his actions curiously. He sensed as Inuyasha and the other two ningens entered the clearing, the immediately began asking questions which the taiyoukai ignored.  
  
"Yukiko-san," Sango said, "what happened to your eyes, they-,"  
  
"Ah, I knew this would happen eventually,"  
  
The taijiyaa turned to Miroku.  
  
"What do you mean, Houshi-sama?"  
  
"The spirits, remember what Kagome-sama told us about Yukiko?" Sango nodded.  
  
"They have broken through Yukiko's barrier. She has been locking them away since the day she found out about them. Apparently, knowing about them allowed her to work up some kind of defense against them. Blue eyes, I believe Kagome said that this spirits name is Takehiko."  
  
"What happened to Kagome?" was all Inuyasha asked, ignoring the others and stepping towards his brother who cradled the unconscious miko in his arms.  
  
"I don't know," the lord of the western lands whispered. His confused tone stunned Inuyasha. Everyone stood still, not knowing what to say or do.  
  
"The kuroi miko," Takehiko spoke, "she said her name was Koridomi. After she stunned the both of us she touched Yukiko. After that her thoughts they were scattered, her mind became jumbled and weak so that we were able to break out of Yukiko's defenses. But now, it's hard to focus with four entities wandering through this body. . . She touched Kagome also and then when she left Kagome collapsed and she hasn't moved yet."  
  
The young woman's eyes shifted quickly, the colors mixing and changing until it settled at a shade of gray.  
  
"It's a curse." Stated the gray-eyed entity.  
  
"That would be Chikako," Miroku whispered to Sango.  
  
Sesshoumaru stood, still carrying Kagome.  
  
"What kind of curse? How can it be undone?"  
  
Chikako approached the limp miko and put a hand on one of the miko's cheeks.  
  
"I don't know, I've never seen a curse symbol like this before."  
  
"Feh, what are you talking about? There's no mark on her or anything." Inuyasha stated, the rest of the group nodded in agreement.  
  
"You don't see it? It's right here on her cheeks, a sakura blossom in black."  
  
"Miroku, didn't Kagome say she saw-,"  
  
The monk nodded, his face pensive.  
  
"What did she say?" Sesshoumaru questioned. Sango stepped towards her dear friend being held by the irritated youkai.  
  
"She said she saw symbols like the ones Yuk- I mean, Chikako sees. She saw them on- on Kaede."  
  
"The deceased miko?"  
  
The taijiyaa nodded solemnly.  
  
Sesshoumaru's heart lurched painfully; he clutched the cold, limp body closer to him and sprinted off into the forest.  
  
~*~  
  
"It's no fair, everybody else gets to go visit Kaede's village and we get left here with the toad face," complained Shippou, sitting in the garden with Rin and drawing pictures.  
  
The little girl ignored his pouting as she hummed a song that Kagome had taught her. The picture she was working on consisted of her and Shippou picking flowers with Jaken in the background waving his staff around. The kitsune peered over her shoulder to see what she was drawing, but Rin hit him lightly on the nose.  
  
"No peeking." She said, trying to sound stern, but failing when she let out a giggle at Shippou's hurt expression as he covered his nose with his hands.  
  
A shadow passed over the two children and both their gazes turned to the sky. Blocking out the sun was a huge bird, its wing span twice the length of a human body. It landed near them in the garden and Jaken stepped out before the children as the bird let out a burst of light before transforming into a golden-haired humanoid youkai. The bird youkai snorted in disgust at the two smaller youkai standing in front of his target.  
  
"Give me the girl or die," he stated simply.  
  
Without saying a word, Jaken swung out the staff of heads and flames flew towards the intruder. The attack was easily dodged and the youkai lunged at Jaken, knocking the weaker youkai into a tree and landing behind Rin. He picked the girl up by the collar and turned to leave.  
  
"Oi! You jerk, let Rin go!" Shippou yelled, running forward and releasing some of his blue fire.  
  
"Kitsune bi!"  
  
The youkai smirked, and waved the weak flames away. The force of his youki was strong enough to send the young youkai tumbling backwards with just a simple flick of the wrist.  
  
"Shippou!" Rin cried out, stretching her arms out towards her friend.  
  
Standing quickly and once again running towards the youkai holding Rin, Shippou reached into his pocket and pulled out a lock of hair tied together with a blue ribbon. Kagome had given it to him a long time ago, before they had moved into Sesshoumaru's castle. It was her hair, he had asked for it when she said she was going back to her era to get a haircut. It was something he treasured and was now thankful he had asked for the small gift as he put some of his kitsune magic into it and threw it at Rin. The strands stretched, wrapping around both his and Rin's wrists.  
  
Gathering his youki beneath him the kidnapper took to the sky, cursing when he noticed the kitsune was now connected to the girl. They left Jaken behind, still unconscious against the tree and headed east.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Author's note: Just a quick one. Chapters 1 and 3 have hints as to where the kuroi miko comes from. This chapter has a tiny clue as to her identity as well. I don't really have anything I can give you guys but I'd like to see if anyone can figure out who she is, e-mail me if you have a guess because I don't want everybody knowing the answer should you guess correctly.  
  
Reviewer responses:  
  
Spirit element: Hehe, Sorry, I have no idea why you attract all the weirdos at school, I used to have the same problem. . . Actually I still have that problem and I'm in college now, I thought the torture would end after high school, but apparently not. Grrrrrr. . . The insanity continues! As always, thanks for the review. ^_~  
  
RED HAT: I'm sure Sesshoumaru would be offended if he heard you doubting his ability to abstain from the pleasures of the flesh. . . hehehe. Don't you think he'd do it for his Kagome? . . .probably not, he'd last a week at the most I think. In any case if he's afraid for Kagome then I wouldn't mind taking the risk. . . Bad, bad neko! No more perverted thoughts! Anyways, I'm glad you brought up the part about Sesshoumaru being in Kag's era, I actually over-looked that. I'll have to think about it. Don't worry somewhere in my cluttered mind I have most of the big stuff worked. Ja ne and thanks!  
  
Helen: ^_^ Glad you liked the lemon because I really enjoyed writing that one. The idea had been floating in my mind for a while and I had to find a way to stick it in. As you should know after reading this chapter, the woman in Kagome's dreams is the dark miko. Hmph, am I becoming predictable? Most of my reviewers seem to be a step ahead of my chapters, accurately guessing what will come next! Well, Arigato for the review.  
  
Tessa3: hehe Well, the cats out of the bag, so to speak. It wasn't Kikyou, you don't have to worry because I won't put her into this story. Although it is sadly true, Kaede is no longer amongst the living in this story. Sorry, but it was the old miko's time to go. Thanks for reviewing.  
  
Aira: You wouldn't believe how nosey my cousin is ~*sigh*~ It's not just her either, my entire family is like that. . . They should all get hobbies and let me write in peace!!! ^_^ Yay, you liked the lemon! I'm sooooo tempted to talk about my ideas for Sesshoumaru and Kagome's relationship!!!! It's frustrating, but I'm keeping it a secret! I'm determined not to blurt it out, I won't even tell my wall. . . Not that I talk to my wall. . . HEHEHE I know, fanfiction.net took down a lot of good fics and also left a lot of other lemon fics up to. . . Damn their little spies! But hey, if any of those 'spies' are reading this, then I didn't mean it. =-P I appreciate the reviews, ja ne! 


	6. Confrontation

The Path You Follow  
  
By: EvilNekoEatsYourSoul  
  
~*~Please Read and Review!!!!~*~  
  
Last time: Gathering his youki beneath him the kidnapper took to the sky, cursing when he noticed the kitsune was now connected to the girl. They left Jaken behind, still unconscious against the tree and headed east.  
  
Chapter 5: Confrontation  
  
~Kagome~  
  
It was cold, swimming in the depths of the murky water. The chill was so deadly, so complete; it surrounded her from every angle and stabbed at her body. Painfully slow, her eyes opened and it was complete darkness around her. She was drowning in this sea of impenetrable ink and yet, her lungs did not burn with the need for air. When she parted her lips, liquid did not seep into her mouth and down her throat as she inhaled. But there was the distinct feeling of water around her; the weightlessness of being submerged was there.  
  
"Where am I?" she asked herself.  
  
She started to kick and paddle her arms, trying to reach the surface of this false sea. Her eyes, they required light; craved it as her body craved warmth and her heart, love. Unable to tell if she was making any progress in her hopeful ascent through the strange liquid, she thrashed more wildly. There was no time, no way of telling how long she attempted to break the surface of this sea of chilly, ebony water. Distantly, she wondered if she were even moving at all, it was hard to tell.  
  
A sob escaped her as she curled into herself, her body balled into the fetal position. In her mind she wondered what everyone else was doing, she considered the fact that maybe she was dead. Perhaps without having even put up a fight, that woman, Koridomi the kuroi miko, had killed her. 'I'm so pathetic.' She thought.  
  
"I wish Sesshoumaru was here," no sooner had she said it then her beloved taiyoukai was there before her. Smiling lovingly, he took her into his arms and placed soft kisses on her face. Amazed and relieved at his sudden appearance, she clung to him and started to spout nonsense.  
  
"I was so afraid and alone. Everything was black and cold and it felt like water, but I could breath and. . ."  
  
He put a finger to her lips to silence her, the caring look still on his face. Something about him was different, but she couldn't pinpoint it. His eyes were gentle and before she could ask him if anything about him had changed, he took her lips in a passionate kiss. Lazily, his tongue lapped at her parted lips.  
  
Pulling away, she took a moment to look around her. They were in Inuyasha's forest, near the bone-eater's well. Just the two of them, sitting where the Kuroi miko had left her.  
  
Sesshoumaru brushed the hair out of her eyes.  
  
"I was worried about you, Kagome."  
  
Smiling, she buried her head into the crook of his shoulder, holding tightly to his haori.  
  
"I'm fine now," she said, "for a moment I thought I was lost. But then I thought about you and you came."  
  
His hands were warm against her face as he once again brought his lips to hers. She shivered; her body was still cold. There was sunlight all around them and yet she couldn't feel any of it. It didn't warm her cheeks as she turned her face up to the cloudless sky. The taiyoukai didn't seem to notice.  
  
"Where are Yukiko and the others? Are they alright?" Kagome asked suddenly.  
  
At that moment they walked into the clearing. Sango and Miroku walked side- by-side their hands clasped in one another's. Inuyasha kneeled beside her and Sesshoumaru and Yukiko stood behind him, all of them smiled warmly at her.  
  
"Daijoubu, Yukiko-chan? I know she touched you too, I heard you screaming."  
  
The girl blushed and nodded her head, her warm brown orbs glittering innocently.  
  
"I'm fine, Kagome-san. Gomen for worrying you."  
  
Looking back at the girl behind him, Inuyasha grinned before turning to face Kagome.  
  
"Are you alright Kagome? You were out for a while."  
  
"Hai, hai. . . Everything is fine now."  
  
Reaching out a clawed hand, the hanyou began to caress her cheek gently. Confusion filled her mind when Sesshoumaru did nothing but continue to hold her against his body.  
  
"Is there something wrong?" she asked, glancing worriedly at all her friends.  
  
"Of course not, Kagome-chan. Everything is as it should be." Answered Sango who stood within the embrace of Miroku.  
  
"Then what happened between you two?" A knot began to form in Kagome's stomach.  
  
Shrugging nonchalantly, Miroku grinned at her.  
  
"We finally admitted our love for one another, Kagome-sama. Isn't that what you always wanted?"  
  
The miko just nodded numbly, turning again to look at Sesshoumaru and thinking there was something different about the clear, proud, porcelain- skinned face.  
  
~*~  
  
"So, what do we do now?" Miroku asked, looking between Inuyasha and Sango.  
  
The taijiyaa was biting at her bottom lip nervously. Inuyasha was unusually silent, staring off into the forest. Looking in the direction Sesshoumaru had taken Kagome in. Sitting away from them, Yukiko or whichever one of the spirit's that now was in control, leaned against the base of a tree with her hands pressed against the sides of her head. She had been complaining of voices within her mind and had lost control of her body for a few seconds earlier, falling to her knees and screaming. Now she seemed to be lost, trying to organize the multiple entities and their thoughts within her.  
  
"Do we follow Sesshoumaru?" Miroku ventured to speak once again.  
  
"If it's a curse then perhaps we should bring her to a miko," Sango offered.  
  
Inuyasha was about to reply when a scream came from behind him. He turned to find Yukiko writhing on the forest floor, her head held firmly between her hands as she shook it violently and screamed. The others approached her slowly. Continuing her ranting, she drew her nails slowly down the sides of her face, leaving bright red welts. Wanting to stop her from further harming herself, Inuyasha rushed forward and took hold of her wrists.  
  
Her wild movements stopped instantly, as did her screaming. She sat there for a minute simply breathing as Inuyasha still held her wrists in his hands. The color of her eyes was a deep, troubled brown when she looked up at him. At first the tears fell slowly, trickling down her cheeks to touch the corners of her mouth. But they grew in number and soon she was clinging to Inuyasha's haori, sobbing into his chest.  
  
"Feh, it's alright," he said, "everything'll turn out alright, but first we have to help Kagome and then we'll sort everything else out. Okay?"  
  
She nodded, looking hopefully up into his eyes and sniffled. Sighing, he picked her up and ran in the direction Sesshoumaru had gone to, calling for Miroku and Sango to hurry up and follow.  
  
~*~  
  
The forest was nothing but a blur as his powerful legs took him through its entire length in just a few minutes. At the speed he was going he would reach the next ningen village within the next hour. He needed a miko. It didn't matter that most miko's wanted nothing more then to purify every youkai in existence because Kagome had to live. If he had to be purified in order for her to survive this then so be it, he would make that sacrifice. 'Just as long as she doesn't die,' he thought.  
  
Kagome lay unmoving against his chest, her skin a sickly pale color that worried him. Her skin was cold against his hands and the only sign that she continued to live was her slow, harsh breathing and her weakly beating heart.  
  
'If she dies from this curse, will Tenseiga be able to revive her? It did when she was wounded, but would it work if she was killed by a curse?' He didn't want to have to find out. Determined to cure her of the curse rather then chance her dying and Tenseiga being unable to bring her back to life, he continued on. The sword seemed to act upon whim and he had his doubts about its abilities.  
  
As a the sight and smell of a ningen village made contact with his senses, Sesshoumaru also noticed a faint glowing from Kagome. It came from the Shikon no tama that hung around her throat. The light coming from it was faint, but hopefully it was trying to help her body fight the dark magic.  
  
Internally, Sesshoumaru cursed the jewel. 'The damn jewel is a curse in itself,' he thought vehemently, 'it puts her life in constant danger from demons and I know this entire problem with the dark miko is somehow related to that accursed jewel.'  
  
The taiyoukai suddenly stopped in his tracks when he noticed the smell of smoke. Looking towards the ningen village he saw it covered in flames that lapped hungrily at the sky. He could feel the heat on his cheeks, but the flames were not bright. They were black; a shade darker then the night sky as they danced upon the buildings, causing the weak structures to collapse and the people to scream.  
  
There was nothing he could do, powerful though he may be, he did not control the elements. Not to mention he didn't dare put Kagome down of leave her side. 'There are other villages,' he thought, feeling a bit guilty. If Kagome were conscious she would insist he do anything he could to help the suffering people. But he saw no way to help them under the current circumstances.  
  
"Only you matter right now," he whispered to her as he sprinted off in another direction in search of another village and hopefully, a miko to help.  
  
~*~  
  
The smell of smoke and death reached his nose before the village came into view. As they approached the hollowed village, Inuyasha put Yukiko on her own feet. Immediately, she collapsed, covering her nose and vomiting at the scent of blood and charred flesh that hung in the air. When she stood her eyes were the piercing blue of clear ocean waters. Though they noticed the change, the group said nothing and began walking through the village.  
  
There were no survivors. None within the village anyways, everyone who had failed to run away now lay dead. Inuyasha noticed that Sesshoumaru's scent did not go into the village; it only circled around it. He didn't know what to think.  
  
"That bastard," whispered the hanyou.  
  
Miroku shook his head and Sango's eyes widened in surprise.  
  
"Inuyasha?" she questioned. Unsure of what had brought on that insult.  
  
"Sesshoumaru was here, his scent is only at the edge of the village but he could have done this without entering the village. If they had pissed him off or refused to help Kagome. . ."  
  
The houshi took a step towards his hanyou friend, putting a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru has changed since Kagome-sama has been with him. I agree that he may have done something like this in the past, but now, knowing how Kagome-sama would feel if she found out. . . I don't think he would do this. Besides, he knows he cannot afford to waste time while this curse is upon her, she is a powerful miko but it just means she will suffer longer under the curse before succumbing."  
  
Thinking on Miroku's words for a few minutes, Inuyasha nodded in agreement. Sesshoumaru was still a bastard as far as the hanyou was concerned, but he did care for Kagome. That much was obvious even if he didn't show it physically in front of everyone else. Sango and Miroku left to search more of the village in case there were any wounded survivors. Inuyasha stood in the village's center with Takehiko, who now had control of Yukiko's body.  
  
Suddenly, there was a new scent drifting through the air. It smelled of jasmine and Inuyasha closed his eyes, taking it in.  
  
"She's here, Koridomi, the kuroi miko," Takehiko said from her position behind him.  
  
Spinning around, he saw her. A thin elegant woman who by no means looked weak stood before them. Her hair fell around her in dark ebony waves with eyes that were like a moonless night. On her pale lips was a thin cruel smirk that made Inuyasha shiver. Something stirred in the back of his mind, but he pushed it aside and drew Tetsusaiga from its sheath.  
  
"Oi, bitch! You're the one who did this!" he accused.  
  
Her only answer was a twitch of her lips in what was a momentary smile. When she took a step forward, Inuyasha jumped forward and swung the Tetsusaiga at her but she remained out of range.  
  
"Do you mean to kill me, hanyou? Without even asking how to break the curse on that little miko whore?"  
  
Her hands stretched out towards them. Their bodies froze and she approached them. Her eyes focused on Inuyasha as she stood before him. Long pale fingers moved to touch his face and he fought his fear down. But just as her fingers were about to touch his cheek, they fell to her sides and she chuckled.  
  
"Are you afraid of me, Inuyasha, descendant of the great taiyoukai Inutaisho, defender of the Shikon no tama's protector and one who helped to slay the pure malice that was Naraku? How pathetic, for you to fear a simple woman such as me. If you could move I bet you would look surprised, ne? I have touched two women who love you and through that brief contact in which I cursed them I gained their memories."  
  
While the surprise and hate could not reach his face, it echoed in Inuyasha's mind. 'What the hell is she talking about? Two women who love me?'  
  
Suddenly, she walked past him to stand in front of Takehiko. With one finger Koridomi traced a symbol on the girl's cheek.  
  
"Ah, Takehiko, am I correct? How have you and your sisters been? Trapped within this poor little girl. . . slowly killing her. . . You meant to destroy me, did you not? To escape the jewel. Well, I have done you a service then. You are now free of the ruby, but unfortunately without a body so possess you are nothing and so you must linger in Yukiko's body and slowly drive each other mad with the thoughts and emotions that are running wildly through each entities. I suppose this weak little girl will die either way, her soul is so much smaller then the rest of you that I'm sure it won't be long until she fades away completely."  
  
Without having moved, Inuyasha was suddenly facing the two. Koridomi's hand was stretched to him and there was a flash before his eyes. Since he was still frozen his eyes were unable to blink and it took a minute for his vision to clear. Once again, the kuroi miko's hand went to Takehiko's cheek to trace the black sakura blossom marking. He could see it now.  
  
"Your little miko interests me Inuyasha. She still has feelings for you, but also she loves your brother and I know you love her. It's been a long time since I've created such turmoil, I would be glad of the challenge you all offer. So I will give you a chance, I will tell you of the dark blossom, the curse that killed the old miko and will eventually kill Kagome."  
  
Her lips stretched into a full smile that promised death. Pointing with one lithe finger that rested on the center of Yukiko's black sakura, she began her lesson.  
  
"As you can now see, this is the mark of the dark blossom. The flower, a sakura blossom, has five petals," her hand poked at each of the five petals. "There is one for each stage of the curse. Usually, people don't survive the first stage. The old miko died in the first stage. Your miko survived the first stage, which is the abyss; it is nothing but darkness that will eat those without a strong soul. The next stage is delight. It will give the person whatever they ask for. As you can imagine most people do not want to leave the world they create because to them it is perfection and who would willingly leave paradise? The third stage is desire. In this stage the person will be with the one perso-,"  
  
"Hiraikotsu!"  
  
Sango's weapon swept dangerously close to the kuroi miko who stopped talking. Her hand was palm up and when she closed her fingers to form a fist he heard Sango and Miroku cry out.  
  
"Ah, well it seems our little lesson has been interrupted. Well, Inuyasha I will leave you with this, there is nothing that can break the curse save for Kagome's own will to live and the strength of her soul. But the fifth stage is the best and if she lives to the fifth then I suppose I will see you again. Ja ne."  
  
With that said, Koridomi turned to walk out of the village and once she was out of sight Inuyasha and Yukiko fell to the ground. The hanyou took off after her immediately although Sango and Miroku called for him to stop. It didn't matter because he could find no trace of her, she was gone and there was no scent trail.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Reviewer responses:  
  
RED HAT: Argh!!!! You are constantly picking up on things I've failed to even think about! LOL It didn't occur to me that Kaede and Kagome have the same symptoms and that could mean Kaede was alive. But no, she isn't alive it just has to do with her power as a miko not being as much as Kagome's. Thanks for the review.  
  
Aira^o^: Arigato for the review! Exactly, you'll just have to wait and see what happens with the story ^_~. Thanks for the offer but I don't want to ruin the story for you so I'll keep my Sess/Kag secrets to myself for now mwahahahahaha! I'm determined to keep my readers in the dark, well as much as possible anyways. You guys always have a way of second guessing what I'm going to put up in the next chapter! 


	7. A Dream's Passion

The Path You Follow  
  
By: EvilNekoEatsYourSoul  
  
~*~Please read and review~*~  
  
Author's note: Here's the next chapter! By the way, ~*~Kagome~*~ means that the text is what Kagome sees in her unconscious state. I did not write that little song in this chapter, it's from episode 77 of the anime, I think. Also, there's a lemon in this chapter so all you fanfiction.net people can either go to mediaminer.org or my homepage to read it. Enjoy!  
  
Last time: With that said, Koridomi turned to walk out of the village and once she was out of sight Inuyasha and Yukiko fell to the ground. The hanyou took off after her immediately although Sango and Miroku called for him to stop. It didn't matter because he could find no trace of her, she was gone and there was no scent trail.  
  
Chapter 6: A Dream's Passion  
  
~Kagome~  
  
Sesshoumaru was holding her, and he placed a kiss on her forehead as they stood together. The gesture surprised Kagome who was not used to him showing her affection in front of her friends. No one else seemed to notice and Inuyasha seemed happy, watching the interaction. Something was definitely not right.  
  
"Anou. . . What happened when she touched us, Yukiko-chan?"  
  
"Nothing, Kagome. I told you, everything is fine," something about the smiling girl was not right. The entire situation seemed odd.  
  
"But-," Sesshoumaru silenced her with a kiss, one of his clawed hands supporting the back of her head. Kagome was beginning to feel light-headed as she turned to look at her friends who just watched on cheerfully.  
  
"Everything is fine," the taiyoukai said, "no one is hurt, you are safe and nothing will ever harm you, Inuyasha and I will make sure of that."  
  
The brothers shared a glance that was void of the loathing they usually held for one another. Kagome let herself relax within Sesshoumaru's arms and by some unsaid agreement they began to walk towards Kaede's village. But Kagome stopped and glanced back towards the bone eater's well. 'I wish my family was here,' she thought sadly.  
  
"Niichan!"  
  
Turning back towards Kaede's village, Kagome found she was standing in front of her family.  
  
"Mama, Souta, Jiichan!" she hugged each of them in turn and then brought them over to her group of friends. They all continued their contented smiling as she introduced them. The young miko blushed when she introduced her family to Sesshoumaru. The taiyoukai just grinned and pulled her into another embrace and she hid her flushed face by resting her head against his chest. His platinum hair fell around her in a curtain and she absently played with a few of the strands. She heard her mother talking.  
  
"It's so wonderful to finally meet all of Kagome's friends."  
  
'Jiichan isn't even trying to banish the 'evil demons,'' Kagome thought with a smile. This is great. She closed her eyes and listened to the voices around her.  
  
"Sugoi! Inu no niichan. . ." Souta was babbling some flattering nonsense to Inuyasha.  
  
"Aishiteru, Sango. . ." Miroku and Sango were standing together looking happier then ever.  
  
"I love her more then anything. . ." Sesshoumaru was telling her mother.  
  
"I wish Shippou and Rin were here, too," she whispered.  
  
"Kagome!" two voices called out. There were hands tugging on her kimono and she looked down to see Rin and Shippou grinning up at her. Confusion clouded her mind for a second, 'How did they get all the way here?'  
  
But in a second the thought was gone and it didn't matter because she was happy. Everyone she loved was here and they were all getting along. 'Life is perfect,' she thought, looking up into her lover's golden eyes and smiling, but her smile faltered for a second. 'I'm missing something.' She thought. But what could it be? Everything in that moment was perfect, wasn't it?  
  
"What kind of youkai are you exactly?" Jiichan was asking Sesshoumaru.  
  
"An inu-youkai."  
  
'That's right he's an inu-youkai. It was only yesterday that I had been upset about it.' Her hands went up to his cheeks, where his markings should be. 'I told him that his markings were a constant reminder of my own mortality.' The voices were fading now. In her head there was a slight throbbing. Turning her head upwards, she looked at Sesshoumaru's face, where her fingers were moving across his cheeks. Nothing was there but smooth, pale skin. He had no markings; he looked almost human without his markings. She pushed him away and he looked hurt.  
  
"You're not Sesshoumaru," Kagome looked around, slowly, her surroundings were vanishing, the people disappearing.  
  
"None of this is real," she whispered. That was all it took and the world around her dissolved.  
  
~*~  
  
The middle-aged woman looked down at the girl being held by the kneeling youkai. It was indeed a strange thing to see, a powerful humanoid youkai looking so desperate at the plight of some human. 'He must love her,' she thought. The way his harsh eyes were tenderly resting upon the unconscious girl's form was indication enough.  
  
"She has been cursed by a kuroi miko, can you help her?"  
  
The voice betrayed nothing and the miko knelt next to the couple. Her hand traced the dark design marring Kagome's cheek. The younger miko's skin was cold to the touch and the woman shivered. She shook her head; this was far beyond her.  
  
"There is nothing I can do for this young woman," his eyes were menacing when put upon her and she fidgeted nervously, "this curse is very powerful and I am but a simple miko. My spiritual powers could do nothing against a curse such as this. But she herself is a powerful miko, correct?"  
  
Sesshoumaru nodded his head grimly as he continued to glare at the woman.  
  
"Perhaps she can break the curse herself. But I have never seen this curse symbol before and so I don't know if it is even possible to break this curse."  
  
Without another word Sesshoumaru was out of sight, running frantically with no real destination. The miko looked towards the direction he had gone.  
  
'It would be nice,' she thought, 'if everyone could have someone who loved them as much as he loves her.'  
  
Turning back towards her village, she continued her journey towards home.  
  
~*~  
  
Panic ran rampant through her body as she sat up. Like a startled animal, her head flew back and forth taking in her surroundings with wide eyes. A hand touched her shoulder and she looked down at Sesshoumaru who was lying beside her. Her head began to spin and she closed her eyes.  
  
"Another dream?" he questioned.  
  
Kagome nodded and settled in beside him intent on sleeping. But the taiyoukai wouldn't allow it, whispering delicious things into her ear and nipping it lightly. She smiled as his hands went into her yukata and his fingers played lightly over the skin of her abdomen.  
  
"Don't worry, Kagome. I'll make you forget all about those dreams," he purred into her ear. She shivered delightfully as his lips began to tickle her neck.  
  
She sat up to straddle his waist and kissed him deeply, their tongues eager to explore the terrain of the other's mouth. His claws ran down her shoulders and side, easily tearing the fabric into thin strips that fell away from her.  
  
Pulling away from the kiss, she fingered his cheeks, tracing his youkai markings and smiling. Grabbing her hands with his claws, he put them to the ties of his sleeping yukata. Silently instructing her to undo them. She just grinned and shook her head in playful defiance before leaning in and tracing the shell of his ear with her tongue. He was massaging her hips, his claws gently raking over her lower back; his hands seemed to be everywhere all at once.  
  
~*@~ Go to mediaminer.org or my homepage for lemon ~*@~  
  
~*~  
  
It was dark and little air filtered into the room. There was only one small window far above the heads of the room's two occupants. They sat in a corner, clinging onto each other. One of them sniffled.  
  
"Shippou, where are we?"  
  
The kitsune shrugged, but in the darkness it went unseen. But she could feel it as she huddled close to the small youkai. The fact that someone had kidnapped her was not frightening. That had happened before. Things like that did not bother Rin because in her heart she knew that her Sesshoumaru- sama would come for her and so would Kagome. In fact, both children were absolutely sure that someone would come to their rescue.  
  
They were in the dark, literally, and that was what brought fear. To be without protection in a place with no light was like torture to them. They thrived on light and fresh air; they were children who had spent their lives living out in the open and to lock them up in the darkness was to starve their inner light. More than anything they were aware of the things that could lurk unnoticed in the dark, each of them had seen terrifying things in the days when Naraku had plagued the earth.  
  
Their wrists were still bound by the kitsune magic and Kagome's hair but it brought little comfort. They had nothing to use for light and the air in the room was heavy with silence. The combination of silence and darkness was too much for them and they both spoke at once.  
  
"When do you think they'll come?" they asked in unison. The mood was lightened a little.  
  
"Probably in a few days," Shippou mused, searching in his pockets for anything to help pass the time. "HE has had us for about a day now, but he also left a scent trail for Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru-sama to follow."  
  
"I'm hungry," Rin complained, seemingly uninterested in the direction Shippou was going.  
  
"Do you think they will bring us food?" she asked.  
  
Before the kitsune could answer she began singing a song that she had made up one day while waiting for Sesshoumaru.  
  
"Yama no naka (In the mountain)  
  
Mori no naka (in the forest)  
  
Kaze no naka (in the wind  
  
Yume no naka (in a dream)  
  
Sesshoumaru-sama doko ni iru? (where are you Sesshoumaru-sama?)  
  
Jaken-sama o shita naiete. . . (with an ally like Jaken-sama. . .)  
  
Watashi wa hitori de matchimashou! (I will wait alone until you come!)  
  
Sesshoumaru-sama, omodoriou!" (Sesshoumaru-sama, please return)  
  
(A/N: This song is from episode 77 of the Inuyasha anime. It's so kawaii I couldn't help but put it in when it popped into my head)  
  
When she finished quiet once again fell upon the two children, but it was not silence born of fear now. It was a peaceful silence and their hearts felt a bit lighter.  
  
"You have a pretty voice," Shippou whispered, as if he were afraid someone might hear him. The darkness hid Rin's smile and blush and they both remained silent for the rest of the night. When the sun rose and a few of its rays made their way through the cell's tiny window, Rin resumed her chattering as if a spell had been lifted.  
  
~*~  
  
Sesshoumaru tightened his grip on Kagome when he felt her stir. His footsteps stopped and he looked down at her. Her cheeks were flushed, but her body was still icy in his arms. He kneeled and rested his forehead against hers, inhaling her scent. Gasping at the smell of her, 'That smell. . . Could she, is she really. . . aroused?' he thought to himself.  
  
Kagome moaned, her hands fisted in his hakama and he took it as a good sign that she could move now. 'Perhaps she will be okay.' Not knowing what else to do at the moment, he sat, leaning against a tree and watching her. He shook her a little but she did not wake, he spoke to her and her eyes remained shut. She was still in a deep state of unconsciousness.  
  
The scent of her arousal was beginning to affect him and he shifted uncomfortably with her in his lap, which served to do nothing more than further his need. One of his claws traced the curve of her cheek as he felt his heart rate increase. It's beating was so rapid that he wouldn't be surprised if it woke her. He didn't even notice the new scent heading their way, not until the youkai spoke.  
  
"Oi, you bastard, what are you doing with my woman?"  
  
Gently, Sesshoumaru placed Kagome to the forest floor. When he stood to face the intruder, his eyes were red.  
  
~Kagome~  
  
She felt light-headed; it was as if she were a mouse trapped within a maze. Not knowing what to do or where to go. A wave of dizziness hit her and she slumped against Sesshoumaru. Her back was against the wall and she was dimly aware of their bodies firmly pressed together, beads of perspiration covering them.  
  
Sesshoumaru's fangs scraped against her shoulder and the haze of her mind cleared. They had been at it for a long time now and no end was in sight yet. 'Shouldn't I be tired, or sore or both?' she thought to herself. Instead her need for him seemed to do nothing but increase. Hours must have passed and yet when she looked at the window there was nothing, it was still dark. 'That's impossible. We have been here for a while the sun should have risen by now.'  
  
A pleasurable shiver passed through her and Sesshoumaru moaned her name. Placing her onto the bed, he was once again hovering over her. But before he could do anything she put a hand to his shoulder to stop him.  
  
"Anou. . . Sesshoumaru, doesn't it seem like it should be morning already?"  
  
"It is," he whispered, nibbling on her earlobe.  
  
And it was. The sun was shining brightly outside the window she had just looked out of. It was well past sunrise, about midmorning right now. 'And no one has come to wake us up?' She knew the impossibility of it, there were countless mornings when there fun had been interrupted by Rin and Shippou barging in or banging on the door asking for entrance. A hundred mornings where Jaken had humbly disrupted there time together, not to mention more then a few mornings that they awoke to Sango's screaming and Miroku's begging for mercy or Inuyasha chasing a squealing Shippou around in order exact vengeance for some prank. It was too good to be true, she knew it; and yet, the way he was holding her right now, pressed fully against him, his firm, well-muscled thigh between the soft flesh of her legs. . . His playfully erotic kisses. . . she was in heaven.  
  
'Nothing to worry about,' she thought, 'no kids, no arguing friends, no curs. . .' Then it hit her. She had been about to think 'no curses,' but that's what this was, right? She trembled as Sesshoumaru's lips trailed down her abdomen with small nips and kisses. 'Is it a dream? But Kami if it is, I don't want it to end. . .'  
  
Her eyes again met with the bright sunlight. She sighed.  
  
"This isn't real," she whispered.  
  
"Hmm?" The dream Sesshoumaru sent her a questioning look.  
  
"The real Sesshoumaru would never stay in bed all morning. He'd never neglect his responsibilities like that, and definitely no one would let us stay in bed till this late. Someone would have woken us by now."  
  
Just as the first one did, this illusion faded and Kagome was once again thrown into darkness.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Reviewer responses:  
  
Aira^o^: The story is getting more intense. . . more serious, ne? But it's not as depressing as 'bliss' was lol and I don't think I can achieve that kind of angst for this story either. But that doesn't mean it's going to be all sunshine and rainbows either. I was a bit disappointed at first, I did seem to have a lot more readers for 'bliss' but this story is a lot different from 'bliss' so I guess it doesn't appeal to all the readers I had from then. Thanks for caring about me not getting that many reviews! So kind of you! But I'm happy that I do have my few devoted readers who review and so I'm content with that. You guys are the one's that keep me going!  
  
Sesshyangel: Kagome will die if the spell cannot be reversed or if she does not see through the illusions. At least that's the way I'm making it for now. As for Rin and Shippou's predicament, I won't give away the 'why' at the moment. I think it is easier to be brave when someone you care about is in danger. In the anime Shippou is a child and therefore it is understandable that he was a coward, besides the fact that everyone else in the group was strong and brave enough to compensate for his weaknesses. But with Rin it is different because she is a human child and therefore I'd say Shippou is the stronger of the two and so he felt that since their guardians were not there it was his duty to try and save her. Didn't Inuyasha always become most determined and powerful when Kagome was in danger? So seeing this, Shippou just picked up on that from his hanyou friend I guess.  
  
tessa3: lol don't worry about being lost, everything will be understood. . . eventually. Hehe, good luck with trying to figure out the dark miko riddle, there won't be any more hints to her identity, at least I don't plan any. In any case if you don't figure it out then you'll still find out. . . eventually. ^_^ 


	8. Despair of the Dark Blossom

The Path You Follow  
  
By: EvilNekoEatsYourSoul  
  
Author's note: Sorry about the ending of chapter six, on ff.net it came out all messed up for some reason unbeknownst to me. It looks perfectly fine on MS word, but every time I upload it to ff.net the ending gets all scrunched together. In fact I'm going to see if I can get it to work now. Thanks for everyone who told me about the formatting problem. Enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review!  
  
Last time: "The real Sesshoumaru would never stay in bed all morning. He'd never neglect his responsibilities like that, and definitely no one would let us stay in bed till this late. Someone would have woken us by now." Just as the first one did, this illusion faded and Kagome was once again thrown into darkness.  
  
Chapter 7: Despair of the Dark Blossom  
  
~Kagome~  
  
A familiar pain gathered in her chest, it was deep within her heart. It ate at her, making her heart feel heavy so that she found it hard to breath. In fact, she was not sure her heart was beating at all. There were no memories or visions of the future, just the all-consuming despair of the moment. She didn't know from where it had originated and it didn't matter because that was all she knew. Internally, her heart cried out at the injustice of life. It was an intense sadness that did not allow her to do anything but lay still, her body numb. She could not cry, although she wanted to, it felt as if the tears were just out of reach. They lingered in her closed eyes and refused to fall, the feeling of desolation so complete that she was beyond tears and existing in a higher level of mourning that she did not know of until now.  
  
There was another presence there, some dark malicious force that hovered around her. Stubbornly, she kept her eyes shut. Not caring what happened to her anymore, she bid the foul being to do whatever it wished. Take her life because now she had nothing, her mind was blank except for the heavy depression weighing on her. Perhaps death was to come, but obviously there was to be pain first. No quick, easy death for her. She felt something cold and hard against her arm, metal. It traced a line from her shoulder down to her elbow, igniting fire in its path. She felt the trickle of blood falling down her arm.  
  
When she did not respond the blade was placed on her abdomen, and with light pressure it was pulled across her skin. Still, she remained silent and unmoving. Her tormentor said nothing and continued to carve patterns onto her skin. In the back of Kagome's mind she registered the fact that she was bare, her clothing having disappeared with her memories.  
  
They had created a pattern, the cold blade pressing against her skin, the heat of pain as the edge cut into her, and the warm trickle of blood that followed. It happened over and over again, on her arms, chest, abdomen and legs, but not her face, not yet. The physical pain was almost welcome; it distracted her from the hopeless despair imbedded in her heart.  
  
She wanted to cry for both the physical pain and the mental anguish, she begged for the tears to come. Anything would be better than the cold, stunned ache in her chest. If only she could cry. . . It didn't make any sense, what would crying accomplish? Would something happen if she could grasp those fleeting emotions? She wasn't sure anymore.  
  
Arm, sticky blood flowed over her skin. An incision was made on her inner thigh. It was everywhere now, the smell of blood was thick in the air. Her body hurt all over, the sting of her perspiration finding its way to her shallow wounds adding to it all.  
  
It was nothing though, the pain of her flesh was just a quiet background for the hurt within her. It was maddening, the thought that somewhere along the way she had lost everything. Try as she might she could remember nothing save for her own name. For a moment her tormenter was still, the blade was not upon her and continued to lay motionless.  
  
Then it was once against pressed against her skin. The blade was warm now, heated from her blood. Its tip was touching just below her left eye. Slowly, ever so slowly it was pulled down her cheek with just enough pressure to cut. It stopped at her chin.  
  
'The path of tears,' Kagome thought. 'But real tears won't come so he creates tears of blood to stream down my face.'  
  
When the sharp tip grazed her bottom lip, she finally opened her eyes. The gaze that met her blue orbs was the color of gold. There was something familiar about those eyes and although they were the eyes of her torturer she could not bring herself to hate those deep, golden pools. Something about them tugged at her mind, trying unsuccessfully to uproot some hidden memory. The blade traced just below her lip and her tongue darted out. She could taste the metallic flavor of her blood and finally, she was able to scream.  
  
~*~  
  
All was silent as the two youkai faced one another. Golden eyes met with deep blue ones as they crouched into their battle stances. Sesshoumaru drew Toukijin. Kouga's eyes widened momentarily as he was able to sense the swords malicious ki. But against his own senses, he remained where he was.  
  
The inu youkai's eyes were red and he was barely able to withstand his will to transform into his full demon form. Kouga lunged at his enemy just as another demon presence entered the clearing.  
  
"Damn it you wimpy wolf, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Inuyasha yelled as he slammed into Kouga's side. Both Inuyasha and the wolf youkai tumbled to the ground as Sesshoumaru swung toukijin. The wave of jaki went past them.  
  
Before any words could be spoken, Inuyasha was at Kagome's side.  
  
"What the hell were you two thinking? Couldn't you smell it?"  
  
Sesshoumaru barely heard his half brother. His anger was still there and he was fighting his urge to kill the wolf youkai. Taking deep breaths, he closed his eyes and willed himself to stay calm. The red receded from his eyes and then it hit him. The smell of ningen blood was floating through the air, Kagome's blood.  
  
The taiyoukai kneeled at Kagome's side; next to him were Inuyasha and then Kouga. Her robes were stained red, the smell of blood overpowering at the close proximity. She remained silent and still, her face was unmarked. Sesshoumaru put his hand against her cheek to discover that her skin was still cold.  
  
"Leave us," Sesshoumaru stated, his voice giving nothing away although Inuyasha could see some foreign emotion flicker in his brother's eyes.  
  
Inuyasha stood as Sesshoumaru began to undo the ties of Kagome's robe. But Kouga intervened, moving towards the inu youkai.  
  
"Oi, what are you gonna do to my woman?"  
  
Sesshoumaru didn't even spare him a glance. He simply stood, grabbed the wolf youkai by the neck and flung him across the clearing where his head made contact with a tree.  
  
"Inuyasha, I suggest you keep that idiot away from me."  
  
"Feh!" was Inuyasha's only answer, but he did approach Kouga, who was now sitting against a tree with a hand held to his head.  
  
"He won't hurt her, ya wimpy wolf. So just leave him alone before you get yourself killed."  
  
Kouga said nothing as he continued to study the youkai hovering around Kagome. He couldn't see the miko herself since Sesshoumaru's body was big enough to block his view of the ningen girl.  
  
Sesshoumaru parted her robes, gently removing the bloodstained garment from her body. The only thing she wore was the red hakama, but he his mind was not on her current state of undress. Instead, he was studying the multitude of cuts that adorned her pale skin. They were everywhere, lining her arms and abdomen. Most likely on her legs as well although he did not check. Some of them were lined with dry blood; others seemed fresher, the crimson liquid still leaking from them. They were thin, clean slices, made with careful precision.  
  
Behind him there was a gasp. He turned to find the taijiyaa looking over his shoulder. Occupied with studying the extent of Kagome's injuries he had not sensed the entrance of the other ningens.  
  
"What happened to her?" Sango asked, kneeling next to her friend and carefully covering her with the discarded robe.  
  
"I do not know what caused this. She was fine before the wolf showed up and nothing came near her. The injuries just appeared there."  
  
"We should get her cleaned up," Yukiko said from Sango's side, her eyes shifted from gray to blue and back again.  
  
Sesshoumaru nodded, for the first time glad of the two women's' presence. He did not know how to deal with ningen injuries and in this situation they were best suited to care for Kagome.  
  
"Inuyasha, are there any rivers around here?" Miroku asked, carefully keeping his eyes away from the half-dressed miko. For once he didn't feel like getting slapped for his lecherous ways.  
  
Just as Sesshoumaru was leaning over to pick Kagome up, a hand flew up and made contact with his cheek. The unconscious woman began to scream and writhe on the ground. Where before her face had been left unmarked, there was now a slice going from below her left eye to her chin. Blood fell from another cut below her bottom lip.  
  
Her cries echoed throughout the forest and Sesshoumaru stepped away from her to avoid being hit again. The others gathered around to see what was the matter. Kagome continued to scream as her limbs flailed wildly, her movements causing her robe to fall away again.  
  
Glaring at the others, Sesshoumaru moved forward to cover her. Her movements would not allow him to dress her in the robe properly so he wrapped his arms around her, pinning her arms to her sides. His legs straddled hers and held them still. As for her screaming, there was nothing he could do about that but try his best to ignore it.  
  
~Kagome~  
  
She couldn't move. After her outburst a couple of seconds ago something had grabbed her, preventing her from moving. Yet, she couldn't see anything. There was no physical sign of her being tied or of anyone holding her down.  
  
Now there was no escaping, no way to fight away her captor. Pain flared within and without her body. It was a constant, intense assault upon everything she was and she screamed until she imagined Kami himself could hear her. But if the deity did indeed hear her cries, he made no move to help end her suffering. Still, there were the golden eyes that called to things, perhaps memories, lying deep within her.  
  
Her entire body ached and her heart was still heavy and dormant within her chest, her breathing was labored and her throat was raw from her screams. Still, it was all somehow bearable. Or at least it was until she felt the heat, real heat this time, not from her wounds; the heat of an actual flame. It surrounded her and she still was unable to move, her scream took on an entirely new pitch. It didn't just sound like someone in pain, it tore at the eardrums, bringing agony to the listener.  
  
The thought had not occurred to her the entire time she was being tortured, but now the realization hit her. She was going to die.  
  
~*~  
  
He had to release her from his arms, the screaming had intensified and with it his need to cover his sensitive ears. It was one long, shriek of agony that made a person's ears want to bleed and made the heart want to cry out in sympathy. There was nothing anyone could do to help her. She was lost somewhere in a curse, within her own mind. Sesshoumaru's claws pierced the skin around his ears as he blocked out the sound. A lot of emotions coursed through him, though he tried to keep them hidden. He felt guilty at being unable to protect Kagome, worry for her condition and anger that anyone should even want to harm her. The screaming came to an end. She lay perfectly still at his feet, face pale and almost serene.  
  
Everyone watched her for a moment. No sounds or movements were made by anyone, least of all Kagome. Not even the rise and fall of her breathing.  
  
Though later he would never admit it, Sesshoumaru's hands shook as he kneeled at his ningen lover's side. Gently placing his claws upon her chest, his eyes began to go red. Nothing, there was no heartbeat, no breathing. He clenched his jaws in order to hold back the keening howl that wanted to escape his lungs. Everyone, ningens, youkai and hanyou alike all looked away from the mournful sight. They didn't need to ask or even investigate the fact for themselves; Sesshoumaru's quivering body said it all. Their friend was gone, departed for the spirit world.  
  
Tenseiga was drawn; prayers and mantras were repeated over and over again in each person's mind. The taiyoukai held the blade poised over the recently deceased miko's body. He did not move.  
  
'I can't see them,' he thought, 'the servants of death. They are hidden from my view.'  
  
If he could not see the demons that collected the souls of the dead, then the sword would not revive her. He had seen them before, the first time he had used the sword to save her and when he had revived both Rin and Jaken. But now, they were no where in sight. There was no way for her to come back to him.  
  
For the first time in history, Sesshoumaru lost all control. His eyes burned blood red, his face elongated, his features becoming sharp. He willed the change, wanting his true youkai nature to take over, wanting anything but the harsh truth of their current situation. Inuyasha and the others backed out of the clearing, leaving him room for his huge inu form.  
  
The first thing his crimson colored eyes met was the wolf youkai, without a moment's hesitation he attacked.  
  
~*~  
  
There was light as memories came flooding back into her mind. Sesshoumaru, her mother, Inuyasha, Shippou, Jii-chan, Rin, Souta, Sango, Miroku and Yukiko. The bone-eaters well, the shrine, Sesshoumaru's castle, Inuyasha's forest everything came back to her in that instant. Kagome's eyes were closed and all around her she felt a soft warmth that caressed her skin and soothed her spirit.  
  
It was wonderful, inviting and she reveled in it. The pain of a few seconds ago completely forgotten. She could almost imagine she was in Sesshoumaru's arms right now, even though she knew she wasn't. But at the moment she was content to rest, she felt so tired as if her very life force had been drained from her.  
  
Curling up into a ball, she began to drift into sleep when a voice, calm and friendly, called to her.  
  
"Kagome, Kagome, wake up. You mustn't sleep in this place."  
  
The voice was oddly familiar, but she waved it off with a snort.  
  
"I'm sooo tired, just let me rest for one minute, alright?"  
  
There was a feeling of peace and tranquility in this place that made her feel safe. Nothing would harm her here, of that fact she was absolutely certain. Her mind was foggy with weariness that clouded her judgment. But she had always been a sharp, quick thinking person so she was able to find the flaw. Yes, she was safe in her current location, but where exactly was she?  
  
Slowly, almost warily, Kagome's eyes opened. Everything was pink, or perhaps nothing was pink. It felt like she was boxed in by the light, purifying color and yet she could move freely as if the very itself was tinted pink. Holding her arms out in front of her, she noticed that her skin had a faint glow to it that covered her entire body.  
  
"So where am I?" she asked, hoping the voice had not been a figment of her imagination. She had experienced more than enough illusions as of late. A relieved sigh escaped her when the voice spoke.  
  
"What do you remember, miko?"  
  
Kagome thought about her answer for a second before voicing it.  
  
"Everything, I suppose. I remember Koridomi, the curse, everything thing that I hallucinated. Now answer my question."  
  
"You are within the Shikon no tama," this said as if it were the simplest thing in the world, like offering a cookie to a child.  
  
"NANI? How is that possible?"  
  
"You are not physically within the jewel."  
  
Kagome again looked down at herself, she was bare of any clothing. She pinched herself and found that it stung a bit. The voice interrupted just as she began to protest.  
  
"Your form is just a manifestation I created to keep your spirit separate from the souls within the Shikon. You were upon death, and so I lured your essence into the jewel. As you are the protector of the Shikon no tama, it is also linked to you and can help you in extreme times of need."  
  
"This is the voice of Midoriko, isn't it? But what about the-"  
  
"Hai, when I was a ningen I was known as Midoriko. Now, no more questions. It will suffice to say that I have saved the core of your being from succumbing to the final stage of the curse. While you are a powerful miko, you had given into 'despair' the fourth stage of the kuroi miko's curse. I was surprised that you were able to get through the first three stages so easily."  
  
"I don't understand," Kagome said, her mind was spinning and she her eyelids felt heavy with fatigue.  
  
"There are five stages to the curse the kuroi miko laid upon you," the voice explained. "The last you will have to accomplish on your own when your spirit is put back into your body."  
  
"What is it I'm supposed to do?"  
  
There was silence and Kagome was not sure if she was being ignored or had not been heard. But after a minute there was an answer.  
  
"If you fail to destroy the kuroi miko within two weeks, both you and the other girl who bares the mark of the dark blossom will be under her control. But I do not think your friend will last long, her body is already weak with the strain from the spirits residing within her."  
  
"How will I-," the young miko yawned in the middle of her question, her eyelids drooping.  
  
"We have no more time, Kagome. If you stay here any longer you will become trapped in the jewel. I must send you back into your body, your mind will still be stuck within the fourth curse stage, but this time your memories should be in tact. Use your memories as a focus point and draw power from the Shikon no tama."  
  
Before Kagome could speak, she was thrown back into her own body. The force of it left her feeling breathless, but she no longer felt tired as a multitude of aches stung at her skin and heat surrounded her.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Reviewer Responses  
  
Aira^o^: I'm glad you like the story and I agree that anyone who reads this story without reading 'bliss' would be thoroughly confused. But somehow this story just feels different to me then when I was writing 'bliss'. I love both of the stories but I think 'bliss' will always be my greatest accomplishment, maybe because it's the first semi-long story I wrote seriously and completed. Anyways I'll stop babbling, as always, thanks for the review!  
  
Tessa3: Hah, my hard work paid off you were almost fooled by Kagome's little dream/curse thing!. . .So sorry for the terrible formatting mistake at the end of the chapter. Laughing is good for the soul, everyone should laugh more often, ne? Besides if you laugh like a lunatic people don't bother you as much. ^_~ Thanks for your review.  
  
Helen: No internet connection? Ouch. . . That must suck. I'd be bored out of my mind without the internet. . . Or maybe I'd just get off my lazy butt and find something to do. . . hard to tell with me. Don't worry about the late review, I just love getting reviews so I'm always happy to see them no matter when they come. Awwww! I love all my reviewers who are concerned about me not getting tons of reviews. But I assure you that I will finish this fic. I'm too in love with the ideas I have for it to stop, so as long as I know I have people reading it, no matter how small the number, I will continue! Glad you liked the curse description, I had fun thinking about what kind of curse it would be. Thanks for warning me about the messed up formatting at the end. Yes, Kouga has finally found his way into the story and now he's in trouble! But I love Kouga's sweet/slightly oblivious to the world, attitude so he's relatively safe. . . Arigato for the review!  
  
sweecenck: Thank you, thank you, thank you! Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long for this update ^_~.  
  
Aido: Thanks for the review, I will definitely keep writing more because . . . I LOVE INUYASHAAAAAAA. He he he okie dae.  
  
Spirit element: I know, the song is so kawaii. . . I love it! Yes, Kagome figured it out, she's smarter then your average. . . uhh. . . miko. Heh, well thanks for the review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 


	9. To Mourn the One He Loves

The Path You Follow  
  
By: EvilNekoEatsYourSoul  
  
Author's note: Had some extra time, or actually I just didn't feel like doing any studying, so here is the next chapter. Things are moving a bit slower then I had anticipated which is all right with me, as the story seems to be carrying on well anyways. Please read and review.  
  
Last time: Before Kagome could speak, she was thrown back into her own body. The force of it left her feeling breathless, but she no longer felt tired as a multitude of aches stung at her skin and heat surrounded her.  
  
Chapter 8: To Mourn the One He Loves  
  
~*~  
  
Kouga sprung into action upon realizing that he was the angry inu youkai's target. He lunged forward to deal a kick to Sesshoumaru but was simply batted away by a huge paw. He fell to the ground as Inuyasha jumped forward to get to the wolf before the transformed dog demon could do any more damage.  
  
Finding a new target, Sesshoumaru rushed towards Inuyasha who dodged the attack easily. Obviously Sesshoumaru was not going all out for this battle so the hanyou left Tetsusaiga sheathed at his side. The taiyoukai's poison breath started to coat the ground, Sango, Yukiko and Miroku climbed on to Kirara and kept to the sky to avoid breathing in the foul substance.  
  
When he caught sight of the ningens on the fire cat, he decided attacking them would be more prosperous for his cause. As expected, Inuyasha came to their aid, finally drawing Tetsusaiga and slashing at Sesshoumaru. He didn't back down and let Inuyasha strike him.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" Inuyasha yelled out in frustration. He knew that Sesshoumaru had impeccable control over his emotions and so was aware that his brother was not just on a rampage. There was some other reasoning behind his sudden attacks upon their group.  
  
Seeing that they were not doing much more then defending, and not even really doing a good job of that, Sesshoumaru transformed back into his humanoid form. Instantly, he drew Toukijin and started his attack upon Inuyasha. Their swords clashed and between them sparks flew.  
  
Suddenly, Kouga flew at them, his fist landing a sold punch against Sesshoumaru's cheek. Their eyes met briefly before the taiyoukai fell back. The wolf youkai had seen something there, but he hardly believed it. Could it be true? He had seen desperation within the elder brother's eyes.  
  
Inuyasha noticed how his brother took his time in getting up from the blow. Something was definitely wrong, Sesshoumaru should have easily been able to block that attack from Kouga and it shouldn't have taken him that long to recover. He was purposely holding back.  
  
There was a new onslaught of attacks as Sesshoumaru discarded Toukijin, using his claws to advance on Inuyasha. Tetsusaiga was sheathed, because Inuyasha didn't think any real harm would come to him. But he was mistaken as long claws wrapped around his throat and the hand turned green. His flesh started to sizzle and burn with the acid that was now coating his skin. He couldn't breath, and he began to panic, if it weren't for the fact that Tetsusaiga was strapped to his waist he probably would have gone into his state of demon rage and gone out of control. As if sensing this, Sesshoumaru grabbed the hilt of Inuyasha's sword, ignoring the sparks that flew and burned him as he touched it.  
  
Then the idea struck him, 'he wants us to kill him!' Inuyasha realized. But he couldn't voice a warning because his throat was being constricted and his skin melted.  
  
"Hiraikotsu!"  
  
The giant weapon slammed into Sesshoumaru who fell to the side, he stayed there for a moment. Lying still, hoping Inuyasha or maybe the wolf youkai would use the time to attack. They didn't and so he leapt into the air, gathering his ki beneath him. His hand grasped the arm of the taijiyaa, he ignored Yukiko's scream and the houshi's staff as it made contact with his ribs. He descended gracefully to the ground with his claws dripping poison very near to Sango's skin. With the flick of his wrist he could end her life, but he stood silently, his eyes meeting those of his younger sibling.  
  
~*~  
  
As the pain rushed back into her body she took a deep breath of air. The despair in her heart returned, but she ignored it. If she were to believe in that hopelessness she would die, there could be no doubts in her mind if she wanted to live.  
  
As promised, her memory was in tact and she began to remember all the happy moments in her life. There were a lot of them. She recalled dressing up in a traditional kimono to go to a festival with her family, her entire family, including her father. Her memories with Inuyasha came to her, every time he had been jealous of Kouga, the time he had taken care of her when she got sick, even going so far as to make medicine for her and stay with her the night before her big test. Memories of Shippou were abundant as well, his face full of delight as he snacked on candy she brought from her time, how he tried so hard to act like an adult. An image of Sango was there and how she had blushed that time they were walking in the rain and she shared an umbrella with Miroku. Then there was a huge chunk of her memory that surfaced, all of them involving Sesshoumaru some of them with Rin. So many nights, she hadn't truly realized how many, she had spent just watching his peaceful face as they spoke quietly or the reprimanding look he got in his eyes when she went against his wished. How he looked exasperated whenever she and Rin wandered too far away for his taste. His kisses, there were countless memories that involved them kissing. She gathered all those memories and they served to chase away the doubt that had been festering within her.  
  
With that accomplished, she began to concentrate on the Shikon no tama, creating an image of it in her head. Imagining that she could actually see power slipping from the pink jewel into her own body. The burning stopped, as did the stinging of her wounds. Around her a comforting warm glow formed, or so she imagined. Another image formed in her head, this one was of herself wrapped in Sesshoumaru's arms in his eyes was that overprotective look that she had begun to hate but also loved for the simple reason that it was a part of who he was; to be overprotective of the things that he truly cared about.  
  
In her mind he was gentle and whispered words of comfort, telling her he would always protect her and she believed him. She could do nothing less but believe every thing he said, he would never lie to her and she accepted that fact with utter trust. Everything had to be absolutely perfect and calm within her mind and body if she were to succeed. If there were the smallest amount of doubt, pain or regret then she would die, in her soul she sensed that and figured it was a message from Midoriko. So she took her time preparing herself for the moment when four words would set her free. When she felt ready, surrounded by love and glowing in happiness she whispered, "This is not real."  
  
And it wasn't real. There was no dissolving or fading, she simply sat up and looked around. She was surrounded by trees and there was talking but she couldn't quite understand it because her mind was in a light daze, the kind that indicates that you just woke up from a long sleep.  
  
It all happened in slow motion. Sesshoumaru was holding Sango, his hand wrapped tightly around her arm and acid dripping from his claws. Kagome was unable to comprehend what was happening and so she watched curiously as she noted Inuyasha talking to his brother.  
  
"You wouldn't. Kagome would never allow that, she would hate you."  
  
Distantly, she wondered what it was she would hate. Oddly enough, Kouga was there as well. In fact, he had drawn that sword that he never uses and was sprinting towards Sesshoumaru who seemed to be ignoring everyone but Inuyasha. Kagome stood, awkwardly, almost falling to the side as the blade entered the inu youkai's chest. She finally found her voice.  
  
"Sesshoumaru!" her scream filled the air, echoing throughout the forest. All eyes turned to her, and she was about to topple over from shock and fatigue.  
  
For the first time ever, Kagome saw her love's eyes widen in shock and she nearly grinned. He dropped Sango as Kouga removed the blade from his chest and somehow managed to catch Kagome before she fell.  
  
Unfortunately, he didn't have the strength to support the both of them, and fell to his knees with Kagome in his arms. He felt annoyed that she had the audacity to yawn when there was now somewhat of a hole in his chest and he was bleeding all over. He scowled, noticing that her robe had opened up in the front and that her breasts were now exposed for everyone to see, he covered her as much as possible.  
  
It was a very strange sight, and everyone sort of just gaped at the interaction between the miko and the taiyoukai. They saw him cough and there was blood upon his lips and on his hand that he had used to cover his mouth. But he was smiling. Kagome looked confused, but happy, tugging at a lock of silver hair. She whispered something that none of the on lookers could hear.  
  
"Am I dreaming?" she asked.  
  
Sesshoumaru shook his head, leaning forward to wrap himself around her in an almost desperate way.  
  
"Kami. . . I hope not."  
  
No one heard the exchange between the two, not even the hanyou or the wolf youkai present. Soon though, they stepped forward, realizing that Sesshoumaru was unconscious and slumped over Kagome who did nothing but run her hands through his hair. She spoke upon seeing the rest of her friends.  
  
"So I'm not dreaming?"  
  
Inuyasha moved Sesshoumaru to a lying position beside Kagome and Sango knelt by her friend.  
  
"No, you're not dreaming." Everyone looked relieved, although it was hard to tell with Yukiko because she was blushing madly and held out a strip of red cloth. Kagome looked at it blankly.  
  
"It's for your robe," she whispered.  
  
Looking down at herself, Kagome blushed as well, pulling the robe tighter around her. She took the cloth gratefully and tied it around her waist to hold her clothing together.  
  
Before anything more could be said or done, Kouga had taken Kagome's hands.  
  
"Kagome, I don't know what's going on but I have to get back to Ayame. I just came here to tell you that I'm sorry but you can't be my woman anymore."  
  
Inuyasha groaned, trying to keep his temper down, everyone else sweat- dropped.  
  
"Anou. . . Kouga-kun I-,"  
  
"Don't say anything Kagome, I'm sorry but this is the way it has to be. Now you're free to be with who ever you want."  
  
Kagome was lost somewhere between worry for Sesshoumaru, anger at Kouga and general confusion.  
  
He turned to leave but threw one last comment over his shoulder.  
  
"Oi, Inu-koro you better take care of Kagome, I know you love her."  
  
Inuyasha and Kagome's eyes met briefly before each turned away blushing. Sometimes Kouga could be really oblivious to the world.  
  
"Baka." Kagome said, before turning to check on Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha stood beside her.  
  
"Lucky bastard. Kouga didn't hit anything vital so he should heal in a few days."  
  
"What happened?" Kagome whispered, she flinched a bit as her clothing rubbed against one of her cuts. They were still there, unfortunately. The hanyou turned away, his voice showing a hint of nervousness as he spoke.  
  
"We thought you died. You stopped moving, stopped breathing and we couldn't sense a heart beat."  
  
She waited a few seconds for him to continue, but he didn't so she prodded him.  
  
"And? That doesn't explain how this happened." She motioned to Sesshoumaru.  
  
"He went berserk when he thought you died," her face blanched at the revelation, "He attacked us. I-I think he wanted us to kill him because he wasn't using his full power to fight us."  
  
Kagome sniffled, a few tears fell, her left cheek stung when the moisture met with the slice going down her cheek. One of those tears, mixed with blood fell onto Sesshoumaru's face and he began to stir.  
  
"Why would he do that?"  
  
Sango knelt next to her best friend, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Do you really need to ask, Kagome-chan? It's fairly obvious."  
  
Turning into the older girl's embrace, Kagome cried into Sango's shoulder.  
  
"But. . . should you not be happy, Kagome-san?" Yukiko asked nervously, "It means that he loves you more then life itself."  
  
The miko's eyes were harsh as they looked upon the fidgeting girl. She was about to say a few sharp words when Miroku intervened.  
  
"It is because Kagome-sama has such a caring heart. She does not want to see the person she loves hurt others even in grief. Even if she were to die, she would want him to continue living. He should not have gone to such extremes to mourn the one he loves."  
  
There was nothing the sickly girl could say to that so she replied with an apologetic, "oh" and looked ashamed. She truly had not understood, she had never cared about anyone that deeply. The emotions started to rise in her and she cried out and fell to the ground, clutching her head.  
  
No one could see her face, but it was contorted in pain and the eyes were shifting colors quickly. Instantly feeling guilty, Kagome went to the girl's side. The eyes were green when they looked up she winked.  
  
"It's been a while," the voice was smooth and seductive. Kagome rolled her eyes.  
  
"I don't have time for this," the miko commented, standing and turning to Inuyasha. "Can you carry him? I want to get to a river or something where we can both get cleaned up."  
  
Yukiko, or Kumiko, if the green eyes were any indication of the change of the body's master, looked a bit miffed at being ignored.  
  
"You're not still mad about that little incident between him and I, are you? It happened so long ago," she whined, pointing to Sesshoumaru.  
  
Kagome turned to silence her but the girl had taken the miko's face between her hands and the green eyes were narrowed.  
  
"Oh dear, something seems to have happened to your face, not to mention your youkai. He doesn't look himself today."  
  
Quickly losing her patience, Kagome considered the consequences of slapping the green-eyed girl in front of her. Or maybe it was Kagome's eyes that were turning green with envy, she didn't like the way Kumiko talked about or looked at Sesshoumaru. It evoked memories of the time she had seen them together in the halls of Sesshoumaru's castle. She hadn't been listening to the girls chatter so now she was lost.  
  
"-get that for you." Kumiko finished. Kagome frowned, trying to comprehend what had been said. But suddenly her eyes were lost in a sea of green; the deep green of a lush forest, the soothing, enticing emerald of earth. The miko felt her body relaxing, leaning forward into the other girl's touch. The skin of her hands on Kagome's cheeks seemed so soft and inviting and she had an insane urge to embrace Kumiko. 'Had I ever disliked her?' Kagome questioned herself. She suddenly couldn't remember why she would ever want to be away from the girl's soothing touch. Her body felt light and warm and she closed her eyes, surrendering to the blissful sensation. It was over all too quickly, and she was left blinking in the sunlight.  
  
"What just happened?" she wondered out loud. Everyone looked slightly awed, except for Kumiko who giggled.  
  
"Weren't you listening to me? I said I would heal you."  
  
"Heal me? What. . ."  
  
"Hmph! You didn't think the only thing I did was look pretty, did you? Although I am really good at that, I do have another purpose." Yukiko's face was frowning, it didn't match her, but then again neither did the green eyes that belonged to Kumiko.  
  
The reason for Kagome's initial dislike of her was starting to return. Was she always that conceited? The miko began to check her arms for any sign of injuries, she put her hands to her face feeling for any pain, there was nothing. Her skin was smooth as if it had never happened.  
  
"Now for your little pet," she was saying, her hands reaching out to touch Sesshoumaru.  
  
"No! Wait!" Kagome shouted, she blushed recalling the feelings that had gone through her when Kumiko was healing her. Would Sesshoumaru be feeling those same kinds of feelings? She wasn't sure she wanted that, or was she being selfish?  
  
"Never mind," she mumbled, "go ahead."  
  
Those green eyes shone in amusement and the eyebrows rose knowingly as she smirked. Suddenly Kagome wished she had a bow and a quiver of arrows at that moment. . .  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Reviewer responses:  
  
Aira^o^: Well, it turned out Kouga was fine. I wouldn't hurt him much, he's dense but nice. Unfortunately, he ran away before he knew what kind of relationship Kagome's involved in now. He always seems to do that, and anyways I put him together with Ayame simply because I felt they should be together. "The moon's rainbow," and all that. . . Glad I could help relieve some of your stress, I hate exams. * shudders * I have major test anxiety, absolutely hate quizzes, tests and ESPECIALLY exams. * wants to cry because lots of exams are coming up soon *  
  
Riomi: Not too much of a disaster, right? Kouga is perfectly fine and Sesshoumaru was the only one hurt, but that was his plan anyways. But he's fine and Kagome has finally woken up although they have yet to really face each other. . . I'm looking forward to writing that part. ^_~ Thanks for all your support.  
  
Spirit element: Everyone seems to be plagued by tests lately, ne? Anyways, I never thought about it until now but the past few chapters just helped to convey the fact that even though Sesshoumaru isn't outwardly affectionate in front of others he still cares for her very deeply. It was sad, but there is always hope. ^_^  
  
Tessa3: Well, finally Kagome has woken up, but just a moment too late to prevent damage. But, Sesshoumaru will be fine physically. Hehe, keep working on the dark miko riddle ^_^ good luck with it.  
  
Cecilia: ^_^ Thanks, hope you enjoyed this chapter.  
  
PeachesDani: Hehe. . . here's the update. Glad to see you like my story.  
  
REDWOLF: ^_^ Of course I would never let Kagome just sit there and suffer, but I didn't want her to seem too powerful so I made it so she got some help.  
  
Fyyrrose: Anou. . . * fidgets nervously * You're scaring me!!!!!!! -_- I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry, you know you should get more sleep (Yes, I'm a hypocrite I do that kind of stuff all the time when I find a good fan fic too. . .) Well, here's your update and thanks for the review, even if I will be paranoid about taking too long to update now. . . 


	10. Aishiteru and Goodbye

"I want to know you forever, cradle each other from soft baby hair through the young stiffness and back to the silky drift of old age, to feel you forever." (Feel Forever, Meredith Blowen)  
  
The Path You Follow  
  
By: EvilNekoEatsYourSoul  
  
Author's note: Gomen, I would have updated sooner but I haven't been able to get on my computer for more then a few minutes at a time without being interrupted and I had a slight case of writer's block. Things aren't going so well for me at the moment. But anyways, here's the update and if you have time check out a one-shot I wrote called 'Even the Wicked' it's an A/U lemon inspired by Sesshoumaru and Rin (so if you have a problem with that couple then disregard what I just said. . . because I guess that it's slightly controversial.) It's posted on mediaminer.org, adultfanfiction.net and my homepage. Read and review, onegai!  
  
Last time: "Never mind," she mumbled, "go ahead."  
  
Those green eyes shone in amusement and the eyebrows rose knowingly as she smirked. Suddenly Kagome wished she had a bow and a quiver of arrows at that moment. . .  
  
Chapter 9: Aishiteru and Goodbye  
  
~*~  
  
His flesh was pale and smooth, no scar was left behind, and the only memory of what had transpired was in their mind. Her hands, cool and soft, rubbed away the remnants of blood from both their bodies. If she had not been angry he would have embraced her, taken her on the banks of the shallow river they bathed in. But she was more then angry, she was confused and in a sense she looked defeated. So he let her wash away the blood and they stood in the cold river waters, silent and avoiding eye contact.  
  
The minutes passed and soon she was scrubbing at flesh that was already clean, all traces of the dried crimson liquid were gone. Sesshoumaru's back was facing her and the silence was overwhelming; she felt very alone. The anger had faded and she did not want to speak the decision she had made but it needed to be said, he needed to hear it.  
  
Kagome's arms went around his waist and she drew in his warmth. Her cheek rested upon his damp hair that clung to him, her bare breasts were pressed against his lower back. At that moment she felt tiny, and when she spoke her voice seemed small.  
  
"Why did you do that?"  
  
Silence. His arms were crossed over his chest and his eyes were closed in an attempt to block out her question. But he couldn't ignore her, not when she was so close, pressed intimately against him. He would never be able to simply ignore her, but he did not want to answer the question. All this time, he had known that what he felt for Kagome was love, he had long since ceased to deny it. It was something he accepted and acknowledged. Why then, had he reacted in such a way? How had he lost his control?  
  
Never before had he felt the anger, the pain and the anguish that he had felt in those few minutes when he had thought her dead. Those feelings had consumed him, before then he had not thought emotions could be so powerful, not for a youkai. Yet, he had been willing to end it all, after living hundreds of years without needing anything or anyone he had wanted to end his life just because a ningen female had died. The thought made him grimace, he was sure if he were to speak such words they would leave a bitter taste in his mouth.  
  
Behind him, Sesshoumaru felt Kagome shiver. Of course, they were in a river, the waters were cold and she was a ningen, susceptible to the elements. But he stood still, needing to test his own will. He wanted to know if he had changed so much since meeting Kagome, had he become so involved with her that he could see nothing past her? Was anything not directly involving Kagome not worth his time anymore? Her arms tightened around his waist. How long would he let her suffer in the cold?  
  
Not very long, because a second later he took her hand and led her out of the water. He sat in a patch of sun atop a nearby boulder and she sat between his legs, leaning back against his chest. His long, powerful arms wrapped around her shoulders. The thought of her being uncomfortable did not sit well with him, he discovered. Or rather he had known that but for a second had denied it. Somehow, he had failed his own test. It would seem that his love for her went deeper then he had ever thought.  
  
Somewhere along the way he had become a lovesick puppy who would do anything for the petite ningen woman that he now held so firmly. It was actually somewhat frightening, to be so devoted to one person. How could one ensure that their love would not be turned against them? But her eyes, innocent and sparkling blue, looked up into his face and he knew he could never suspect her of anything foul.  
  
"I thought I lost you," he finally answered. While it was not the entire truth, he didn't think he was ready to let her know everything just yet.  
  
Kagome frowned, half turning in his arms so that she didn't have to turn her head at such an odd angle to face him.  
  
"You thought I died and so you tried to hurt my friends? It wasn't their fault that this happened."  
  
Her voice was stern but her eyes were soft, as if she already knew the truth of the reasoning behind his actions. The palms of her hands were resting on his chest.  
  
"Does it matter? No one was hurt,"  
  
"It does matter," she said, "You could have killed Sango. What you did was selfish and childish."  
  
Anger began to build within him, he thought to push her away but instead he lifted her and gently placed her at arms length as he stood. For a moment, he really wished that he could push her away physically and emotionally, but he knew at that point it was nearly impossible. Turning his back on her, he began to search for his clothing. They had tried to wash the blood away but it was already set in the white cloth, and it was not yet dried. He didn't want to speak to her anymore, but Kagome persisted, following him as he walked away from her.  
  
"What would happen to Rin if you were to die? What about Shippou, when I die you have to promise me you'll take care of him."  
  
The ire continued to swell in him; he didn't want to think about that, not yet. If he had anything to say about it she would not die, ever.  
  
"I don't have to promise you anything," he said evenly.  
  
Kami help him, but she started to cry and he actually felt bad. Why was it she could make him feel these things? The taiyoukai was certain it was some kind of curse, love must surely be just that; a curse. Resigning himself to his fate, he went to her and she threw herself in his arms and continued to cry. Her warm tears fell from her cheeks onto his bare chest and she shivered when a breeze blew past. Somewhere in his mind he wished that their clothes would just hurry up and dry so that she would stop shivering.  
  
"You didn't mean it, right?" she sniffled, "You will take care of Shippou for me when I die?"  
  
"If you used the Shikon-," he began, but she interrupted, pushing him away as he had not been able to do before.  
  
"No! I told you, I will not use the Shikon no tama to make myself a youkai." They had argued about this many times before, but it seemed more urgent now that her death seemed to linger over them.  
  
"If you don't use the Shikon no tama than you will die," he stated.  
  
"Hai, I will. I'm a ningen and it is natural for us to die. You are a youkai and it is natural for you to stay alive for centuries longer then us. It's something we will have to accept."  
  
"You have the power to change that, and yet you refuse."  
  
"I cannot watch the people around me die, Sesshoumaru. It would break my heart to see all my friends and family grow old and die around me."  
  
Yet she was asking him to do what she could not; to be with her and watch her grow old and eventually die. Was she perhaps being selfish in what she asked of him? What would happen if she really died? Would he once again seek to hurt others in his grief? She didn't need to ask because he answered in the cold, distant voice that he seldom used on her.  
  
"If you refuse, then when you truly die I won't stop with injuring those around me, I'll destroy an entire village. I'll destroy all of Nippon if I have to. I will not see you die again,"  
  
The young miko's face paled, her blood went cold. His voice held conviction and she wondered if he was really serious or if it was an empty threat. She could not look into his eyes, her face turned towards her reflection in the river. There was still a dark mark upon her cheek, one hidden from the view of most others. 'The curse of the dark blossom.'  
  
She needed time; they both needed time to think about what had happened. Their future needed to be thought out, if a future without pain was possible for them. But if anything she needed to tell him the truth.  
  
"I can't allow that to happen, Sesshoumaru, neither can I let the Shikon no tama be corrupted by a selfish desire like the one you ask of me. But none of it might matter in two weeks' time." She said, placing a palm atop the dark sakura blossom marring her face. "In two weeks if I don't find and kill the woman who cursed me then both Yukiko and I will be under her control. But before then, Yukiko could die. She's already so weak. . . I don't want her death on my shoulders; I don't think I could bear the guilt. I have to find Koridomi before then."  
  
He let the subject drop, there wasn't much more he could say or do to persuade her. For the most part their clothing was dry and they both began to dress before heading back to where their companions were waiting for them.  
  
~*~  
  
It had been two days. The time had passed agonizingly slow for the two captives alone in the small room. They had not been given any food and Rin was crying from the painful stabs of hunger plaguing her.  
  
"Stupid youkai, they must have forgotten that you're a ningen and you need food and water!" complained Shippou as he did his best to comfort the girl. The binding spell had dissolved earlier that morning and every once in a while he would go to the door and pound and yell to try and get some attention. It didn't seem to be working.  
  
They were both beginning to wonder how much longer it would take for their guardians to come and rescue them, they had no way of knowing that they were oblivious to their disappearance.  
  
The little fox youkai was banging his head against the door when it finally opened. A thin, hawk-eyed youkai stepped into the room.  
  
"Oi, what's with all the pounding?" he questioned. "You're giving me a headache."  
  
"Baka! Don't you know she's a ningen?" Shippou said, pointing to where Rin lay against the wall opposite of the door. "She needs food and water to live!"  
  
One big, heavy foot descended onto the red-haired child's head. He immediately buckled under the pressure and fell onto his stomach; the foot was placed firmly on his back.  
  
"Listen here you little bastard, show some respect when talking to me." More pressure was put onto the foot resting on Shippou's back. The bigger youkai spit on the ground next to the little kitsune before turning on his heel and walking out.  
  
Shippou glared at the closed door and limped over towards Rin. A few minutes later a boy entered the room carrying a tray of food. His eyes were ice blue and his hair was a deep bronze color, he had pointy ears that indicated he was a full-blooded youkai.  
  
Without a word, the tray was placed on the floor in the center of the room and the new youkai turned to leave. But as he turned to leave a voice stopped him.  
  
"Arigato," Rin said, already shoving the food into her mouth. She smiled at the youkai who turned to look at her before walking out the door and locking it behind him.  
  
~*~  
  
"What did you say, you little bug-eyed creep?"  
  
"Kagome," Sesshoumaru interjected before she could physically harm his servant.  
  
They had just been given news of the events that had transpired in their absence from the taiyoukai's domain. Neither of them was happy, but as usual Sesshoumaru was more collected with his emotions. Plans began to form in his mind as he headed towards his chambers to change out of his soiled clothing. Kagome followed behind him, berating Jaken who was walking beside her.  
  
For the moment their earlier conversation was forgotten, getting Rin and Shippou back were at the forefront of their minds. The rest of their companions had retreated to their rooms, or in Inuyasha's case, 'his' tree in Sesshoumaru's garden.  
  
His voice, while softer in pitch, penetrated through Kagome's shrieking.  
  
"They went East?" he asked, his hard, cold eyes rested on Jaken who fidgeted nervously but nodded.  
  
"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama."  
  
The taiyoukai stopped at the door leading into his and Kagome's room. His face was passive, but Kagome could see in his eyes that he was thinking.  
  
"And he was a bird youkai with golden hair?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"How very interesting," without elaborating, he opened the door and entered the room with Kagome on his heels. Jaken made to follow but the miko shut the door in his face.  
  
"Stay out of here you little toad, I need to change," she was not usually so harsh when she spoke to the green-skinned servant. But he had allowed Rin and Shippou to be kidnapped and she was not at all happy with him.  
  
"Well?" Kagome questioned, grabbing another pair of miko robes. "What do you find so interesting about his hair color?"  
  
"Have you ever met the Eastern lord?"  
  
Kagome shook her head, "Of course not."  
  
"He's rather dull witted, but holds his honor above all else. A bear youkai, with brown hair, as are most of his servants."  
  
"But not all of his servants are bear youkai, he could have gotten help from a bird youkai, right?"  
  
Sesshoumaru nodded his head as he tied the sash around his hakama.  
  
"That's true, but as I said he holds his honor above all else. It would be beneath him to kidnap a child."  
  
"Then who?"  
  
"I don't know," he answered while securing both the Tenseiga and Toukijin to his side.  
  
"Then how will we find them?" she asked.  
  
"We wont. I will find them. You need to find the kuroi miko as soon as possible." He didn't want to think about the consequences should Kagome be possessed by that vile woman. There was no way he would harm Kagome, even if she were sent to kill him, but he did not voice those thoughts knowing they would only add fuel to the fiery conversation they had earlier.  
  
"I can't let you do this alone, I need to be sure that they're safe too," but her voice lacked conviction. She knew that she needed time away from him; needed time to think and test what life was like away from him for a relatively long period of time. Also, she was aware of the fact that he was more than capable of getting their adopted children back safely.  
  
"You needn't worry, I will get them back safely," internally he added, 'I promise.'  
  
Half of him was reluctant to be away from her after what they had gone through, the other half was relieved. He couldn't think clearly when she was constantly around him. She was too much of a distraction no matter how pleasant and their current situation definitely needed to be thought about. The fact that he loved her more than his own life was something that needed to be deeply considered. What exactly was he willing to give up for her? Was there any limit?  
  
He had thought he knew his limits, but had been wrong. She created new limits for him, her love both limited and broadened his capabilities. All of that had to be pondered and in a way Rin and Shippou being kidnapped was a blessing that would allow him time alone to discover the answers to the multitude of questions he had for himself.  
  
"When are you leaving?" she asked, her voice a whisper. Not exactly sad, but not happy either.  
  
"Immediately," he answered, taking her chin between his fingers so that their eyes met. His lips met hers in a soft, chaste kiss that made no assumptions or promises. It was a simple act of affection with no hidden meanings.  
  
"Aishiteru," he murmured, but his eyes didn't meet hers. He placed another kiss on her forehead before walking out of the room with long, quick strides.  
  
When she could no longer hear his soft footsteps her eyes turned steely. There were more important things to think about now that she was sure Rin and Shippou would return to her safely. She had to be alive for them as long as possible and to do that she needed to be rid of the curse.  
  
Looking out past her balcony, she watched Sesshoumaru and Jaken enter the forest.  
  
"Aishiteru," she said, turning away and grabbing her bow and a quiver of arrows before walking out of the room to find her friends.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Reviewer responses:  
  
Aira^o^: That was quite the beating you gave to Kouga lol. He's threatened never to work with me again! (as if he has a choice mwahahaha) Anyways about the question you had. . . Yukiko has not broken the curse, so the spirits can still take control of her body, but also she can be in control of it sometimes as well. So at that time she was in control, but when she gets overly emotional then it's easier for the spirits to take over and that is why in the last chapter she sort of blacks out and then one of the spirits takes over. Kind of confusing, ne? I'm beginning to confuse myself. . . lol Thanks for the review.  
  
Riomi: ^_^ Sorry, to leave you hanging a bit but here's the update. I thought I would have Kagome make this big speech about how she loves him and how he shouldn't have done what he did, but I really didn't think anything she could say would change what Sesshoumaru thinks so instead I made Sess really thoughtful about his actions, I made his question himself. While I would have liked to write a long sappy speech about love for Kagome to say I did like writing Sesshoumaru as a bit unsure and confused about his actions. Kind of out of character for him, but then again love changes people. Arigato.  
  
Lil_sesshi: Hope you liked the chapter and thanks for reading and leaving a review.  
  
Siluetta: Thanks for the review. I'm so happy with the responses I get from my readers, I didn't realize you people pay so much attention! I did a lot of thinking about how I would set up the curse and so I'm happy to see that people notice that kind of stuff. ^_^  
  
Helen: * blushes * I'm glad you liked that chapter so much. I wasn't really sure about the whole Sesshoumaru losing his cool over Kagome thing and I thought I'd be flamed! But it turned out pretty well, glad you liked it and thank you for the review.  
  
Spirit element: Hmmm. . . I don't think Sesshoumaru or Inuyasha would have the patience to put up with computers at all lol they'd just end up smashing it probably. As for tests, I could see Sesshoumaru threatening any teacher who would dare to question his knowledge. Hehe, anyways thanks for the review.  
  
PeachesDani: Yes, he loves her. * sniffles * it's so touching! I wish someone loved me that much! . . . Right, sorry about that. * cough * Anyways hope you liked this chapter, arigato for the review. ^_~  
  
Snowcat: Thanks for the review. I'm always happy to hear that people don't hate me for writing Sesshoumaru the way I do. He's a rather difficult character to write in a romance type story. Yeah. . . the American version is way behind the Japanese. I personally went ahead and spent too much money buying up to episodes 102 on DVD and I'm still behind. . . heh, anyways hope you liked the chapter. 


	11. Where to Go

The Path You Follow  
  
By: EvilNekoEatsYourSoul  
  
Author's note: Sorry for taking so long to update, my life has been a bit hectic lately and it's definitely not a good environment for writing. But here's the next chapter and since things have calmed down a bit here hopefully I'll get back on track with my updates.  
  
Last time: "Aishiteru," she said, turning away and grabbing her bow and a quiver of arrows before walking out of the room to find her friends.  
  
Chapter 10: Where to Go  
  
~*~  
  
There was a salty, slightly pungent smell floating on the warm breeze as it passed through her nostrils. You could practically taste the ocean in the air. As she passed the small huts no one seemed to notice her. Small fishes were laid out to dry, an elderly woman sat cooking over a small fire, in the center of the village children sang and played. She had never been to the small seaside village before but her feet seemed to know the path as they led her towards the shoreline.  
  
Sitting alone on the sand was a little girl. Her eyes were dull with a milky white film over them and she sat perfectly still with her face towards the breeze. As Kagome neared her she didn't move or show any signs of knowing the miko was there.  
  
Oddly enough, as Kagome tread upon the sand she noticed there was no crunch from beneath her feet; no sounds to indicate she was moving at all. But she was getting closer to the lone child. She could now hear that the girl was softly humming, just loud enough to be heard if you were right next to her. The girl's face was expressionless; she stared sightlessly out to the sea. With her shoulders hunched over the girl leaned down to grasp a handful of sand and let it fall as she rubbed the grains between her fingers.  
  
"Michiko. . ." it was a whisper, carried on the breeze. The young girl turned her ear to the ocean. No sounds followed the quiet call. Only the waves clapping against the shore could be heard. But unlike the blind girl- child, Kagome could see that someone approached. The figure had walked straight out of the ocean and as they left the water footsteps could be heard crunching against the sand.  
  
There was no fear in the Michiko's voice as she spoke, "Is someone there?"  
  
Kagome shivered, as the air seemed to drop in temperature as the kuroi miko approached. Koridomi's dark eyes met hers and suddenly Kagome found that she could not move.  
  
"Run," the word left Kagome, but the child seemed not to hear her. The girl's ear still followed the footsteps of the kuroi miko. Michiko neither spoke nor ran, her breathing remained calm and even. Kagome assumed that the child could not hear her and so she fell silent.  
  
Once again, Kagome turned her eyes to Koridomi, who smirked and walked towards the now immobile miko. One thin, pale hand came out to touch her and everything in Kagome's mind and body wanted her to move away, to flinch, to make any attempt to avoid the touch, but she couldn't move. The fingers passed through her and Kagome felt nothing. When Koridomi chuckled, the girl turned to face the two mikos.  
  
With her robes fluttering in the breeze the dark miko kneeled, she placed a hand almost tenderly upon the child's cheek. Michiko stayed absolutely still, she never moved even as a kiss was pressed against her forehead. Then, when her face was held firmly between two cold hands she let her body slump forward. She willed the strength to leave her body and willingly gave in to what she knew was to come.  
  
Koridomi leaned forward, her face coming close to the child's. There was the heat of life against her cold lips as their lips brushed against each other. Before her soul left her body, before the kiss was complete, the girl spoke a whisper. Her last words were, "Gomen, okaasan."  
  
Before she awoke, Kagome saw Michiko's eyes were no longer a filmy white. They were brown, clear and Kagome was sure that if the girl had been alive she would have been able to see.  
  
~*~  
  
There was a single small patch of sunlight from the one window occupying the room. The small square of warm light was near the center of the room and so that's where Rin sat. Shippou was dozing in one of the room's corners.  
  
The young girl's mind had wandered to many things since her initial capture from her Sesshoumaru-sama's home. First there had been a slight fear of the strange youkai who had taken her, and then there had been the terrifying darkness that came with night and the hunger. But with the absence of those things her thoughts became much lighter. It was their third day of imprisonment and still there was no sign of Kagome or Sesshoumaru. That fact did not worry her, nor did it seem to worry her kitsune friend. Both children knew they would be rescued the only question was when.  
  
The other things she wondered about was the reason for her being kidnapped. A year ago she would never have even thought about it, but with her miko training came an awareness of the world around her. Before Kagome had become her sensei she rarely thought of anything other than flowers or Sesshoumaru-sama. It was different now, she had begun her training and learned how to cure sickness and deal with minor wounds. When she had begun traveling with Sesshoumaru she had been kept in isolation from ningens, and youkai had very little use for the art of healing.  
  
Sesshoumaru had been content to let her follow him aimlessly and do as she pleased with very little or no thought. Kagome on the other hand, encouraged her to think things through, to make decisions for herself. So it was that Rin came to the idea that there must be a reason behind her abduction, surely youkai did not just kidnap little girls for the fun of it. But as often happens with children, she became quickly distracted from that train of thought when she heard Shippou make a noise in his sleep.  
  
It was nearing the afternoon and Rin was about to go and wake Shippou since she hated silence and without him she only had herself to talk to. Before she could even stand and pounce on the slumbering kitsune, the door to her cell opened. Again, it was the young blue-eyed youkai who entered the room with a tray of food in his hands.  
  
Smiling kindly, Rin stood. He was a good three or four inches taller than her and she looked up at him and held her arms out to take the tray.  
  
"Konnichiwa!" she greeted enthusiastically.  
  
The youkai paused in his movements for a second, a bit appalled at her bright disposition. On his face he wore a confused look that made Rin giggle. Catching his lapse, he shoved the tray into the small girl's arms and turned to leave.  
  
"Matte!" Rin called out to his back, "stay for a little while."  
  
When he turned to face her, his bronze colored hair came free from its low ponytail and fell lightly around his shoulders. Still facing her, he shook his head and began to back out of the room.  
  
"Onegai, I'm so bored when Shippou is sleeping. . . I'll share some of my food with you. What's your name? Are you a youkai? What kind?"  
  
Although the youkai frowned at her onslaught of questions, he was curious about the ningen girl.  
  
"Kisho."  
  
Rin had placed her tray on the floor and was picking at some rice, she looked up at his first words to her, "Nani?"  
  
"My name is Kisho."  
  
"Oh, I'm Rin."  
  
Kisho sat a few feet away from her, close to the door. His father would be waiting for him to return but he wanted to speak to the ningen girl, or Rin as she had called herself. He was curious to see why his father wanted him to marry this particular human girl.  
  
~*~  
  
There was a certain feeling lingering about the air, it was calm and light- hearted, or at least that is what was going through the small green youkai's mind throughout the day. It had been a long time since Jaken had traveled alone with his lord. He recalled times long before Kagome had come along, and even before Rin's entrance. Had it only been four years ago? It seemed much longer.  
  
His chest swelled with pride when he remembered an occasion when Sesshoumaru had said, "Jaken, you are the only ally I need." As Jaken continued his wistful thoughts of times past, Sesshoumaru walked a few feet ahead of him thinking of the future.  
  
The taiyoukai's mind was still plagued by Kagome. He still had no answer the question at the forefront of his mind, the question being, 'To what lengths would he go in order to keep her safe?' And in the end would it really matter? He could keep her alive and well for only so long before the natural order of life took her away from him. She refused to make herself into a youkai, she would probably think about leaving him in order to avoid what seemed inevitable.  
  
There was absolutely nothing stronger than his will, or so Sesshoumaru had once thought. He doubted mortality would stop for his sake, regardless of how much he willed it to. But there had to be a way for him to stay with Kagome without it ending in total disaster; another way besides using the Shikon no tama.  
  
Different possibilities went through his mind as he continued to travel in the general direction of east. He had decided to head to the Eastern lord's estate despite his suspicion that the lord had nothing to do with the kidnapping; it was the only lead he had since the scents had already dissipated.  
  
Several ideas came to mind as he navigated his way through the forest. First, was the thought that some spell must exist to prolong the life of a ningen. It was possible he could seek help from Toutousai for such a thing; after all he had created Tenseiga which could serve to revive the dead so the old smith had to know much about magic. Simply reviving Kagome with Tenseiga wouldn't work since it could restore life but not youth. Then there was the image of another woman that made him stop in his tracks.  
  
Sesshoumaru didn't notice when Jaken walked into his leg. He was thinking about the now dead miko, Kikyou. She had been resurrected fifty years after her death. Clay and dirt had been made into flesh, her spirit had been partially returned and she had looked exactly the same. Could he perhaps find someone who could perform such an act to revive Kagome after she died?  
  
Not paying any heed to his servant, Sesshoumaru resumed walking. Realistically he doubted Kagome would permit such a thing as living being revived and living off of other peoples' souls. He continued to ponder in silence as Jaken mumbled to himself a few feet behind him.  
  
~*~  
  
"Where the hell are we going?"  
  
"I'm not sure. . . I just have a feeling we should go further west, to the shoreline. I had a dream; I saw Koridomi in a seaside village," Kagome said to Inuyasha.  
  
Sango set hiraikotsu securely on her back and turned to face the others.  
  
"But Kagome-chan we're on an island. . . there are seaside villages everywhere."  
  
Kagome nodded, "I know, but like I said, I just have a feeling we should go west."  
  
No one disagreed with her and so they were ready to head out. Kagome didn't think it wise to linger any longer and took the first steps away from the last sight of Sesshoumaru's castle She didn't glance back as they walked further away from what had become her home, they had been traveling for about a day and a half now and the structure was out of sight. As much as possible she tried to concentrate on the task at hand and find a way to get past the kuroi miko's spells, but no matter how much she tried she couldn't possibly banish the thoughts of Shippou, Rin and most of all Sesshoumaru from her mind.  
  
The group fell in silently behind her, Inuyasha not even a foot away from her, Miroku walking beside the hanyou while Sango and Yukiko walked at a slightly slower pace behind them. They had barely begun traveling and yet Kagome's quiet, sullen mood seemed to weigh down on all of them.  
  
~*~  
  
There was a constant screeching that drove her to the brink of insanity, the resounding screams echoed off the walls of her mind and at times drove her physically to her knees. Unfortunately, there was no escape from her own mind, which was occupied by three other entities. It was a never- ending battle of wills to see who would control her body. As it was the timid, soft-spoken Yukiko was often at the bottom of the pyramid of power. The others, powerful spirits that had lived for centuries, easily wrestled control away from her.  
  
Presently, the young woman was in control of her own body but she was beginning to feel the turmoil building within her. It was best to keep her mind blank because when emotions came into play it was easier for one of the spirits to gain control. But for a second she had lapsed in her goal. The silver haired hanyou, Inuyasha had glimpsed back at her. Of course, she had looked away immediately and a blush promptly stained her cheeks. Beside her, Kagome laughed.  
  
But that was all it took. A moment later her head began to throb painfully, Yukiko fell, curling into a fetal position. Tears came to her eyes as she fought to maintain control over her body. But it was no use; she could picture the bars forming around her, saw the thought harden to steel and became trapped in her mind. It was dark and cold and only the sound of two arguing voices could be heard.  
  
"How is it that she can gain control easier then we can?" one of the voices raged.  
  
"Takehiko, calm yourself. There is a reason for this."  
  
A derisive snort, silence and then, "Well, what is the reason? Why can she take control of the body more often than either of us?"  
  
"It is because of the emotions Yukiko is feeling."  
  
"Must you be so damn vague, Chikako?"  
  
Yukiko remained silent, concentrating on the conversation to avoid being detected.  
  
"When Yukiko is feeling emotional than the barriers she created weaken and one of us is able to break through. Each of us fights to be the one to make it through and at the same time Yukiko is fighting to remain in control and that is why it becomes painful."  
  
"That still doesn't explain-"  
  
"Be silent," the voice was stern, Chikako hated being interrupted. "She is a weak spirited girl as you well know. Yukiko doesn't exude much strength, she is in fact physically weak because of her illness and she doesn't think deep thoughts because to do so would remind her too much of her impending death and her bad memories. But, she does feel affection towards those around her and that emotion calls out to Kumiko who is much more caring than either of us. After all, as a healer she is prone to empathy."  
  
"So you're saying that until she starts feeling stronger or move brave than I'm stuck in her abysmal mind?!?!"  
  
"Why don't you ask her yourself, she has been listening," the voice was smooth and calm.  
  
Her voice was soft and unsure when she spoke and she hated it, "H-hai, I'm here."  
  
Despite the fact that they had been kept within her for her entire life, this was the first time she was actually consciously interacting with the spirits inside of her. It was an odd feeling.  
  
"So tell me, what do you think of all this?"  
  
Immediately, Yukiko's spirit pulled away from the other two. 'This isn't happening,' she thought.  
  
"But it is happening," Chikako said. Had she control of her body, Yukiko would have cringed. She hated the calm, self-assured, all-knowing tone that Chikako had. Envy filled her and she wish that she could be more like anyone else in the world but herself, that she could be normal and stop running away from everything.  
  
"To end your running you must simply stop moving your feet."  
  
Ignoring the comment, Yukiko drew further away and pictured walls forming around her, encasing her from the two spirits who sought to speak to her.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Reviewer responses:  
  
Chibimethos: Soooooorry, I'm trying my best to finish it but things just aren't going my way and of course I want it to be good so I don't want to rush the story either. . . Anyways thanks for the review. ^_^  
  
Aira^o^: You're sorry for the late review, and I'm sorry for the late update. I really love reviews so I don't care when I get them so long as I do get them ^_^ Yes, Kagome and Sesshoumaru are both stubborn which just makes things that much more difficult for them, but anyways enjoy the chapter and thanks for the review.  
  
Jackie: I'm really sorry to keep you waiting for the update. I'm glad you're a nice person who doesn't threaten people to update. . . o_0. As for the update list, I don't know if I have one, and if I do I haven't been keeping up with it. I'm really bad about that. Okay, well thanks for the review and bye.  
  
Riomi: I'm sorry I made you cry (but I'm secretly happy mwahahaha.) It's an ego booster hehe. I'm glad you liked the one-shot and of course I'm sorry for the late update this time. As always thanks for the review.  
  
Tessa3: Thanks for reviewing both chapters, you didn't have to, although I do appreciate it. Hehe, don't give yourself a headache over my story, all will be revealed in time but thanks for taking interest in it anyways. Arigato for reviewing! 


	12. The Possibilities

The Path You Follow  
  
By: EvilNekoEatsYourSoul  
  
Author's note: I'll admit, the last chapter wasn't that great and neither is this one, but they are necessary. I can't have everyone just suddenly popping up in the places they need to be. Also, there's not much romance or fluff, and there won't be any between Kagome and Sesshoumaru for a little while because they aren't even traveling together; they're going in opposite directions. I could add fluff between some others if that's what you crave or there could be a dream * shrugs * I'll ponder it. Enjoy the chapter and review!  
  
Last time: "But it is happening," Chikako said. Had she control of her body, Yukiko would have cringed. She hated the calm, self-assured, all- knowing tone that Chikako had. Envy filled her and she wish that she could be more like anyone else in the world but herself, that she could be normal and stop running away from everything.  
  
"To end your running you must simply stop moving your feet."  
  
Ignoring the comment, Yukiko drew further away and pictured walls forming around her, encasing her from the two spirits who sought to speak to her.  
  
Chapter 11: The Possibilities  
  
~*~  
  
His blood sang as the primal feeling of blood lust coursed through his body. He had not fought this way in over a year, with the intent of killing his opponent. It was a feeling he missed, a fight for the precious commodity of life. It was never like this when he fought with Inuyasha, that fight could never end in death.  
  
Death had become somewhat of a foreign thing to him since the addition of Kagome into his life. For the single reason that the young miko detested violence, Sesshoumaru had stopped the art that he had perfected; the art of dealing out death to any and all who opposed and questioned him. For the first time in his life he had begun to let enemies escape with minor wounds and concussions rather then killing them.  
  
But now, with her so far away, her sway on his actions had lessened greatly and he found the familiar need to kill invade his mind. At the moment he was beginning to remember what it felt like to be the cold emotionless killer, he recalled how his life was before emotion plagued him. He did not draw his sword; he enjoyed the warm sticky feeling of blood coating his claws. The demon in him relished violence and death and he embraced the rage and need for destruction. When he returned to Kagome there would be no more experiences like this and so he had to remember every slash of his claws, every drip of poison and swing of his fists as they connected with flesh.  
  
The group of youkai that surrounded him did not ask questions, they had lunged forward with intent to kill and he had answered that challenge. Now five of them lay motionless on the ground, their unseeing eyes opened wide to the sky and world that no longer existed for them.  
  
He had left two of them alive, just as an act of kindness and good will towards the Eastern lord. After all, they were his men.  
  
Jaken stood at the base of his tree, having been told to stay out of the fighting. Now, he approached his lord, standing beside him.  
  
"You are to inform Michio-sama that the great Sesshoumaru-sama of the Western lands requests an audience with him immediately," the smaller youkai croaked out.  
  
Having discovered the identity of their opponent, both youkai bowed low from their kneeling positions. Though they tried their best to hide it, the smell of fear permeated through the air along with the smell of death.  
  
Together, they stood and one of them, who sported a bleeding gash from shoulder to chest, spoke.  
  
"Hai, we will inform our lord at once. If you will follow us to the castle, Sesshoumaru-sama."  
  
Sesshoumaru acknowledged the statement with a graceful, small nod of his head. One of his claws, still stained red and green with blood and poison, motioned forward to indicate that they should proceed.  
  
Though they dreaded having to turn their backs to the deadly youkai, both began the small trek back to their lord's home.  
  
~*~  
  
He sat alone in his room, frowning at the wall as his unruly bronze hair fell like a curtain around his face. Through his closed door he could hear two or three of his brothers talking quietly as they walked through the castle's halls. Not being very familiar with their voices, he wouldn't be able to tell exactly which brothers they were until he saw them.  
  
Thinking of his brothers he was brought back to what he had just been contemplating. Throughout his thirteen years of life, his father had never paid him much attention, not until almost a year ago. Not until he had been told that he was to wed a human girl under the care of the Western lord.  
  
Finally, after a year of wondering what type of plot his father might be planning, the girl had been brought to their castle. But she was kept locked away, her and a small kistune youkai. There was a reason for this, and yet that reason eluded him. What on earth could his father possibly gain by bonding him to a ningen? Not to mention the fact that the ningen girl was young, very young.  
  
There was a knock on the door that abruptly pulled the young youkai from his thoughts.  
  
"Kisho! Get out here, father wishes to speak with you."  
  
The door opened to reveal his second eldest brother, Torio. He had the straight golden hair of their father and also the Northern lord's deep amber eyes. Standing to greet his elder brother, Kisho realized how different he was from the rest of his siblings. While his other twelve brothers closely resembled their father with his golden hair and sharp features, he was the only one who looked like his mother.  
  
Both of them began to walk towards their father's study in silence. In lord Choukichirou's family there was very little trust and because of that and his abundance of son's there was deception everywhere. Among the brother's factions had been formed. Torio, along with the other five eldest held the highest place in their father's eyes and were privy to all his schemes.  
  
Kisho, being the youngest and the only child of his father's last wife belonged to no group and usually spent his time alone. Unlike his other brother's he had not been trained in the art of war and instead had spent his time studying more scholarly things with his mother until her death two years ago.  
  
Having reached the study, his brother looked down at him and nodded before turning on his heel and leaving. It would seem that Kisho was to go alone. The thought made the younger youkai fidget nervously as he raised his hand to knock.  
  
"Come in, Kisho."  
  
Bowing his head, Kisho entered the study; already he could feel his father's hawk-like gaze upon him.  
  
"How are things with the ningen girl?"  
  
"Fine, Otousan."  
  
"She is in good health, then?"  
  
"Hai, except. . ." Kisho cut himself off, he hadn't the will to argue with his estranged father. He didn't even know why he had thought to tell him. 'Probably because she looks so miserable,' he thought to himself.  
  
"Except?" Choukichirou questioned.  
  
"Well, you see. . ." he began nervously, "I bring her food everyday, personally and they- Well, the girl, she- she expresses a wish to be outside, in the sun."  
  
Gathering his courage, the younger youkai glanced at his father. The older youkai's eyes were cold and suddenly Kisho wanted to shiver.  
  
"We did not bring her here for her comfort Kisho. Are you so easily fooled by the ningen? She probably just wants you to take her outside so that they can try to escape. All ningens are deceitful, lowly creatures. You would do well to remember that."  
  
His father turned away from him and Kisho realized, with relief that he was being excused from his otousan's presence. As the door shut behind him, he couldn't help but think, 'lowly and deceitful sounds more like traits of my family rather then the girl.'  
  
~*~  
  
First green, then blue, brown and then gray; her eyes continually shifted colors that were dull and reflected no light. Try as they might, no one seemed able to rouse Yukiko from her dazed state. Kagome sat next to her stiff body, supporting the girl's back so that she was not lying on the dirt trail. Inuyasha had gone ahead of them to look for a river of stream so that they could restore their water supply. Sango and Miroku spoke in hushed tones across the path from where Kagome was seated.  
  
Over the past week that they had been traveling, this was Yukiko's fourth fainting spell. In actuality, despite the peaceful quality in the air and the girl's dazed, unresponsive state there was a ware brewing within the frail body. Yukiko had told the group of travelers that, whenever she lost control or let her emotions dominate her thouths that the siter's escaped. When that happened there was a fight, a battle of will sand depending on what emotion she had been feeling, one of the sisters took over her body. Usually, the internal battle took no longer than an hour; but today a handful of hours had pssed and still the girl showed no signs of rousing.  
  
During the week, Kagome had taken the time to speak to the sisters and had thus become acquainted with them. After all, there was not much to do as they walked through the forests and villages of the Sengoku Jida. But when she was not talking, when the group fell silent, her thoughts turned to Sesshoumaru and the well-being of their adopted children. The thoughts she had were both happy and sad.  
  
In her heart Kagome held an infinite amount of love for her newly formed second family. She had yet to discover the boundaries for her love and hoped she never had to test it. There was always a slight ache in her chest these past few days; she missed Sesshoumaru. At night, when she lay alone in her sleeping bag, she became lonely and cold without the youkai's heat beside her and for that she was strangely happy. Missing the one she loved gave her hope, it renewed her belief that everything would work out between them. If she missed him than it would, in a way, force her to stay with him and work for a solution rather than taking the easy way out by going home.  
  
Yet her mind argued, what kind of life could a mortal woman live with an ageless being? She often wondered if it wouldn't be wiser or kinder just to go back to her time and never look back; to forget about the Sengoku Jidai as anything but a past time in which her ancestor's lived. When that happened she would look around her, she would see Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha and even Yukiko and she would shake the thought from her head. She loved them, she loved Rin and Shippou and Sesshoumaru, she loved the fresh air and the abundance of trees, loved the adventure and magic, the clear dark night sky that was littered with stars that could be seen without the frame of skyscrapers and houses, and she found that she loved the power and respect she had as a miko, it gave her life more purpose. All of those things called to her, saying, "This is your home," and then she would wish that she were truly a part of the Sengoku Jidai because then she wouldn't have to choose between two times and two families; two completely different lives.  
  
In her arms Yukiko's body stirred and Kagome was relieved to escape her stormy thoughts. The girl's eyes were a stormy gray and so Kagome greeted Chikako who stood and inclined her head in greeting. Before she even took a step the thin body bent over and began coughing. For a moment the body shook before falling to a knee and gripping her ribs.  
  
Unable to stop the fit, Kagome just put a comforting arm around Chikako's shoulders. From beside her a clear blue bottle filled with water and Kagome took it.  
  
"Arigato, Inuyasha."  
  
The coughing no longer only affected Yukiko, it now plagued every soul that lingered in the weakened girl's body. Kagome uncapped the bottle and gave it to the girl whose steely eyes sent her a brief thankful glance.  
  
Chikako was quick to recover and in a minute was once again standing although it didn't look like she should be doing much traveling. Wrinkled lines of weariness covered her face as they began to walk. They were making slow progress and Inuyasha's irritation was beginning to show.  
  
"Feh, can we pick up the pace a little? At this rate by the time we get there I'll be an old man!"  
  
Raising an eyebrow at the hanyou's words, Chikako smiled a bit.  
  
"You don't have to ever worry about being an old man, Inuyasha. You are, after all, a hanyou and as such you do not age as ningens do."  
  
Said hanyou shrugged, "Whatever."  
  
Then a few minutes later he growled and spoke again.  
  
"Oi, Sango! Tell Kirara to transform we need to get going, this is taking too damn long."  
  
Without being told the fire cat transformed and Sango and Miroku climbed on her back. Kagome edged towards her two friends. She was making it a point to leave Inuyasha with the other girl. In fact, she had been making it a point to distance herself a bit from Inuyasha since their journey began. That's not to say that she did not value their friendship, but they were just too close for comfort at times and the last thing she needed or wanted at the moment was some strange love triangle between her, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru.  
  
"Ummm. . . I need to talk to Sango-chan, so I'll ride with them!" she called out, heading towards Kirara.  
  
Inuyasha 'feh-ed' and blushed. 'So that leaves me with. . .' Stormy gray eyes were glaring at him when he turned around. His eyes traveled up and down her form, taking in her clothing. She was wearing a kimono, which meant he couldn't carry her on his back like he usually did with Kagome. Holding his arms out to her, he waited for her to catch on.  
  
All Chikako did was frown more. While Yukiko may have feelings for the hanyou, the spirit was by no means competing for his attention. Before she could make any protest, she was scooped into his arms and the wind was blowing through her hair. Resigning herself to her fate, she remained stiffly in his arms.  
  
Meanwhile, Inuyasha carried her bridal style and tried to keep her as far away from him as possible, which wasn't very easy considering she was in his arms. Of all the spirits lingering inside of the sickly girl, this one was the one he liked the least. At times Chikako reminded him of his brother, a nearly emotionless face that deemed themselves intellectually superior to everyone around them. It grated on his nerves.  
  
Also, it had not gone unnoticed by Inuyasha that Kagome was beginning to distance herself from him. She would still talk to him, but it was somewhat strained as though she were slightly afraid. He understood, it was because of him and his brother and he honestly didn't want to make her feel like she had to choose between them. Inuyasha cared for her and he always would, but that only made things worse or so it seemed. Sesshoumaru was not the type to just let Kagome do as she pleased, he expected her in some respects to obey whatever rules he lay down. One of those rules was that while she could remain friends with Inuyasha, she wasn't allowed to have any other feelings for the hanyou. But sometimes he saw it in her eyes, just a fleeting thought. The same idea that always found its way into his mind. 'What if. . .'  
  
~*~  
  
"Mmmmm. . . this miso soup is really good. You want some, Shippou?"  
  
Shaking his head in a negative answer, the kitsune turned his wary gaze back towards the bronze-haired bird youkai. For the last six days the youkai had brought Rin her food and stayed for a while afterwards to talk to Rin. Shippou did not trust him at all, he was one of them, one of the people who was holding them captive.  
  
It only further irritated him that Rin did not seem able to grasp that simple fact. Here they were being locked up in a room for over a week, being kept under constant surveillance and she was making friends with the enemy. The kitsune rolled his eyes when he heard Rin offering some of her food to their visitor.  
  
The fact that the youkai never made any move to hurt them or taunt them didn't ease his mind at all. Even when Rin questioned him about why they were being held hostage he had claimed he didn't know.  
  
So far, from listening to Rin's nonstop questioning, Shippou had gathered this information: (1) The youkai's name was Kisho (2) He was a bird youkai (3) He was 13 years old (4) They were being held at the castle of the Northern lord, Chou-something-or-other (Shippou couldn't recall the exact name) (5) He was the lord's 13th son (6) He didn't know his father's plans (7) His father didn't pay him much attention (8) He had heard of Sesshoumaru-sama of the Western lands (9) His favorite color was blue (10) His mother was dead (11) He had never picked flowers (12) He thought the name 'Rin,' was a very good name (13) He didn't really get a long with his brothers (14) He didn't know if or when Sesshoumaru and Kagome were coming for them (15) He didn't know who Kagome was (16) He had never met a miko before (17) He didn't really like tails and did not think Shippou's was cute (18) He didn't know the name of a white flower with big petals that smelled pretty and (19) He didn't think that Rin talked too much (Shippou was pretty sure Kisho had lied about that one).  
  
In other words, Shippou had learned that either Kisho was lying and wanted some information from them or he really didn't know anything about why they were here. After about their fourth day here Shippou started to worry about when his surrogate mother would be coming to rescue him and on the sixth day he had begun to worry that perhaps something awful had happened to her and prevented her from rescuing them. None of these thoughts were voiced to Rin; he didn't want to worry her.  
  
Rin wasn't worried, not at all. Sesshoumaru-sama would come for her, she knew because he always had before. The first time, when Naraku had kidnapped her, she had worried that maybe he wouldn't come for her. But when he did come to fetch her, she knew she never had to worry about it ever again. Sesshoumaru-sama was the strongest and bravest and most. . . bestest youkai ever! Being convinced of this, Rin never worried about anything.  
  
If it weren't for the fact that she couldn't go outside she might have enjoyed being there. It was an adventure and she had made a new friend. Although he was pretty quiet, Kisho did bring her food and answer her questions and so whenever he came she wasn't bored. The only thing that bothered her was that Shippou would become very quiet and grumpy whenever her new youkai friend would come and talk to her.  
  
When Kisho stood to leave, Rin waved at him as the door closed and she saw that for a moment his eyes were sad. Then, shrugging it off, she went to sit beside the pouting Shippou. It was quiet for a few minutes and Rin yawned, resting her head atop Shippou's puffy hair. In another minute she fell asleep.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Reviewer Responses:  
  
Thank you to everyone who reviewed!  
  
Tessa3: ^_^ You know, sometimes I confuse myself with the fic. . . Heh, especially when I was working on 'bliss' I had to keep rereading my chapters to get all my facts straight. * sighs * Sometimes I have such a horrid memory!  
  
PeachesDani: Yes, it is sad to think that Sess will live while Kagome won't. I just really wanted to get into this problem though because too many times it's sugar coated and forgotten and I didn't want to make Kagome into a youkai or hanyou or anything because I can't really think of any new or innovative way to make that happen. Anyways, you'll just have to wait and see that happens mwahahaha.  
  
Ptbear: Sorry to keep you waiting, but here's the update.  
  
Aira^o^: I know how it can be with those computer hogs, bleh I have one that lives with me (my brother) and if he isn't on the computer then he's watching me and looking over my shoulder and making me nervous!  
  
Japanese_angel12: Thank you ^_^ gwaa! I'm such a sucker for praise hehe. Glad you like the fic and doubly glad you like the lemons, I put a lot of work into those especially.  
  
Riomi: ^_^ I'm glad you're liking the whole 'kagome doesn't want to be immortal' drama, I also felt that it was time someone realize that while Kagome does love Sesshoumaru very much she can't just say 'screw everyone else' and go off to become an immortal miko, youkai or hanyou it would be really sad for her. Not that I don't like those ideas because it makes the story happy but I try to be at least a tad realistic with my writing. Any who, thanks for welcoming me into the group, but is it out of commission? I heard that yahoo was getting rid of some of the groups and I haven't seen any activity.  
  
JUSTWONDERING: I wouldn't go so far as to say chapter 11 was a time filler. I'm sorry if it was boring but you know it can't all be sex and fighting, some of it was filler but some of it was important to the story as well and mostly it served a purpose for my state of mind, it was sort of like a re- beginning for me so that I could change mind frames to continue the story now that the group has been separated somewhat. ^_^ Anyways, thanks for your input. 


	13. Revelation

The Path You Follow  
  
By: EvilNekoEatsYourSoul  
  
Author's note: Yes, took me a terribly long time to update and I'm very sorry but for some reason I just couldn't write for this story for a while; just thinking about it made me somehow depressed. But it's alright now. Sorry again and drop me a review even if it's to flame me for being such a slacker.  
  
Last time: When Kisho stood to leave, Rin waved at him as the door closed and she saw that for a moment his eyes were sad. Then, shrugging it off, she went to sit beside the pouting Shippou. It was quiet for a few minutes and Rin yawned, resting her head atop Shippou's puffy hair. In another minute she fell asleep.  
  
Chapte 12: Revelation  
  
~*~  
  
It was very cold when she awoke, not just because of the gentle breeze or the fact that it was now night, the chill that invaded her seeped into her very bones. She shivered uncontrollably, wrapping the soft blanket covering her tighter around her thin figure. Peeking an eye open, she saw that everyone else in the traveling group was asleep.  
  
Sitting up made her dizzy and she could feel the rhythm of her pulse rattling inside her head. Another shiver ran through her and her chest tightened as she coughed lightly. Her hands caressed her 'blanket' that was actually a bright red haori. Inuyasha's clothing, it was smooth and soft from being worn constantly. There was a slight musky scent etched into it and she held a sleeve up to her noise to breath it in.  
  
Looking around the small camp, Yukiko noticed Kagome sleeping, her back resting against a tree trunk next to where she lay. Apparently the young miko had been watching over her before succumbing to exhaustion.  
  
Her eyes remained on Kagome who slept with a frown on her lips. Kagome had done a lot for her, she had given her a place to stay, friends and she always showed concern after Yukiko's health. Even if Kagome acted strangely at times, or said things that didn't make sense, no one else seemed bothered by it. She was perfect, kind-hearted, well-liked, strong and loved. Not just loved by a powerful youkai, but also loved by a hanyou. Perhaps if Yukiko had more courage or strength she would find it in herself to be jealous of Kagome. But she could do nothing but accept the other girl's kindness and charity and so she came to love Kagome as well, like a sister. She was her very first friend.  
  
In all honesty, Yukiko had no desire to continue on this journey; she had long ago accepted that she would die young and most likely alone. The fact that she was no longer alone soothed her, but it did not give her any hope. Hope was something for the strong who can look ahead of them and see the tiny spot of light that awaits them in the end, without strength one could not hope, they couldn't see far enough to get past the day. The traveling was harsh and she felt herself becoming weaker a little more everyday, she could feel the entities within her biding their time, waiting until she became distracted enough for them to break through. Most of the time she was much too weary to fight them, too weary and too afraid.  
  
In her sleep, Kagome made a sound. It was a soft whimper; her eyebrows drew together as her frown deepened. There was a pained look upon her face and Yukiko approached the sleeping girl, reaching a hand out to rouse her from whatever nightmare she was having. But before she could reach Kagome's shoulder, a clawed hand grabbed hers. Quickly, she drew her hand away, a blush heating her cheeks.  
  
"Let her sleep. She needs the rest and even if you wake her up when she falls asleep again the nightmare will come back, either that or she won't go back to sleep at all."  
  
Looking away from the hanyou, Yukiko nodded. It was difficult for her to be alone with a person. As a child she had been sickly and was not allowed out to play with the other children and so she lacked the social skills needed to make friends or even polite conversation. It would seem Inuyasha had the same problem because he turned away from her. The question on her lips died as he jumped back into the treetops without a second glance.  
  
~*~  
  
The castle was clean enough, though lacking in certain small luxuries he found around his own home. As he was lead towards the Eastern Lord's location, Sesshoumaru took it upon himself to memorize the layout of the halls within the castle. In doing so, he examined the building and it's décor, it lacked color. His own home had once resembled the plain, bleak halls he now tread through, that was before Rin had come with her flowers, before Kagome had given the children crayons with which to create colorful drawing that they hung on ever door and wall within their reach. It had been a time when his halls were empty, then Kagome had come with her friends and silence had become scarce, and to his surprise Sesshoumaru had found that he preferred the busy, colorful life he now had compared the solitude in which he once lived.  
  
It was difficult, but the inu-youkai pushed the thoughts of his strange (and previously unwanted) 'family,' from his mind. His main task at the moment was to gather information on the whereabouts of Rin and Shippou. Though he was certain the Eastern lord did not abduct the children, perhaps he knew something, as it seemed that the abductor had gone through these lands. A few feet ahead of him he heard a voice announcing his arrival.  
  
The door at the end of the hall slid opened and without hesitation Sesshoumaru entered the room. Sitting behind a large wooden desk was the bear youkai who ruled over the eastern lands.  
  
"Ah, Sesshoumaru, it has been a while since we last met, ne?"  
  
Nodding, Sesshoumaru sat across from the other youkai.  
  
"However, since two of my guards are dead, I am assuming this is not a social visit."  
  
"Hai, I have come seeking information," his voice was as cold and smooth as ever, nothing could break the stoicism that lay deeply embedded in him. Or at least, nothing or rather no one that was present at the time.  
  
"Something of great import has been taken from me. The ningen girl who resides with me has been abducted along with a kitsune youkai."  
  
There was nervous fidgeting on the eastern lord's part and Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Yet when he spoke there was no indication that the other youkai was speaking a lie.  
  
"I assure you, Sesshoumaru, I know nothing of this."  
  
Sesshoumaru nodded once in understanding and then stood to leave, it was as he had thought, the abductor had left a false trail in hopes of pushing the blame onto someone else. Now that his suspicions had been confirmed he saw no reason to linger in the east. But before he walked completely through the door, he paused and half-turned towards the demon lord.  
  
"Has the worth of ningen girls increased since last I checked?"  
  
He saw the bear youkai stiffen in his seat, for a moment he looked as though he would make some comment, but then decided against it.  
  
"It hasn't," he answered simply.  
  
"Then why is it two noble taiyoukai households seek my ward who is neither youkai nor has noble blood in her?"  
  
Silence settled into the air, Sesshoumaru could smell the beginnings of fear enter the other youkai's scent. He hadn't been lying before, but now he was trying to hide something, that much was apparent.  
  
Turning around completely to face the eastern lord, Sesshoumaru slowly approached the desk that stood between them. It was a warning, perhaps a challenge. The eastern lord was no weakling, and neither was he a coward, he began to growl, low in his throat. Where Sesshoumaru was all predatory grace, the eastern lord was more bulky, his body thick with muscle. Still, he had proven many times over that in battle size did not matter, his agility usually won out where his strength failed him, which it rarely did.  
  
Sesshoumaru paused, wanting to give the other youkai another chance to answer his question and thus escape battle and possible political problems should the eastern lord die.  
  
"Well? I suggest you answer me."  
  
Snorting, the eastern lord backed down, reluctant to start a fight where one could be avoided.  
  
"...The miko you keep with you, the one who supposedly helped to destroy Naraku, she is training your girl to be a miko as well, correct?"  
  
"I am losing my patience; answer quickly," was the inu-youkai's reply.  
  
"We received word that the miko is the keeper of the Shikon no tama, it is the belief of myself and the few others who are privy to that knowledge that upon the miko's death, the jewel will be handed down to your ward for protection."  
  
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed in anger, his fists were clenched and he uttered one word before leaving the castle before he did something rash like destroy it and all of its inhabitants.  
  
"Pathetic."  
  
He wasn't sure if he was more angry at the fact that the power-hungry youkai were already planning for Kagome's death or because they had threatened Rin's safety for no reason. The Shikon no tama was a burden that neither he nor Kagome wanted to hand down to anyone, least of all somebody they cared for. As for when the time of Kagome's death came, it wouldn't happen, that he had already decided; Kagome wouldn't die, not if he could help it.  
  
But at the moment he had other things to attend to. Now with the knowledge of why Rin had been taken, he was sure of where she was and of the fact that he would be able to get her and the kitsune back unharmed. Despite the fact that he was sure no real harm had come to either child, he had no intention of leaving their abductor in the same state.  
  
~*~  
  
Night had descended upon the castle, yet its inhabitants did not sleep; youkai didn't need sleep. Neither did they need the meager candlelight that lit the hallways, but it was there just the same.  
  
As he traversed through the halls on the second floor of his father's home, Kisho watched warily for shadows moving along the walls. Over the past few days some of his brothers had become hostile towards him, wondering what sort of plans were going on behind the closed doors of their fathers study, even more curious as to why the youngest and previously unwanted son, Kisho, was suddenly let into the tight-knit circle of the three eldest siblings.  
  
Despite his newly obtained status among his brothers, Kisho was even unhappier now then he had been when his father chose to ignore him. Where before he had just simply not belonged, now he had no means to stay safe. Neither his father nor the three eldest offered him protection from the others. No longer was he kept in the safety of his room, but now he was thrown into the lion's den, so to speak, with no means with which to defend himself. The others had been trained as warriors, the only thing he had was his wit and the things he had learned from his mother and the books he read. Hopefully that would be enough, his mother had always said that knowledge was a formidable weapon.  
  
Hearing the approach of angry whispers and heavy footsteps, Kisho pressed himself into the wall, quietly chanting a concealing spell. It would keep them from seeing him so long as he stayed perfectly still. It took a minute for the group of four youkai to round the corner, but when they did, he held his breath and waited patiently.  
  
As they passed him, he recited each brother's name mentally, taking note of how they spoke to one another. Studying their actions to check the strength of their alliance, listening for words that would indicate how much they trusted the others. Unfortunately, the things they spoke of were mundane, mostly complaints about how father gave them nothing to do but forbade them to scour the Northern lands. As soon as they had disappeared around the next corner, Kisho once again headed in the direction they had come from.  
  
He was relieved to find his destination still unguarded; his father didn't think it necessary to waste anyone's time with watching over the two helpless children being held in the locked room. His father had thought nothing of giving him a key to their prisoners' room, after all, he was the one entrusted with the task of keeping them healthy and alive. Being that he was older then them and a youkai, his father had trusted him to be able to handle them and not let them escape. Though he may not like all of his sons, lord Choukichirou trusted each of them not to betray him.  
  
The door opened silently on its well-oiled hinges and he slipped in, closing it quickly before anyone happened to walk by. Just as he was about to take a step forward, he felt a sharp pain in his ankle, gasping and shaking his leg, he stumbled forward and nearly fell. He was pretty sure that his leg was bleeding and still the pain continued.  
  
"Shippou, let go of my leg!" he whispered loudly, forgetting to keep his voice low.  
  
The only answer he received was a growl.  
  
"I'm not going to do anything to either of you. . . Itai! Let go you baka kitsune!"  
  
Yawning, Rin stood upon hearing the sounds in the darkened room. Being that she was ningen and didn't have as good eyesight as the two youkai, she squinted and had to wait for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Then, making out the two figures struggling in the center of the chamber, she walked over to them.  
  
Neither noticed the approach of the young girl and Kisho continued to shake his leg in an attempt to get Shippou off of him and Shippou just clenched his jaw and held on tighter. Shaking her head disapprovingly, as she had seen Kagome do so many times, Rin reached out and tugged on Shippou's tail, hard. He was nearly in tears when he scampered off to a corner and started yelling at Rin, who ignored him.  
  
Rin yawned again, and looked curiously as her visitor who was frowning and poking at the little holes not imbedded in his leg from Shippou's teeth. It was bleeding, but not much. Looking up at Rin, he suddenly remembered part of the reason he had ventured into this part of the castle.  
  
Reaching into a pocket in his hakama, he took out a single candle and handed it to the girl. His keen ears picked up footsteps, and he slapped himself for making too much noise. He hurried to stand, but stopped when Rin placed a hand upon his arm.  
  
"Arigato," she whispered, clutching the candle closely to her chest. Perhaps it would only last a few hours, but for this one night she did not have to fear the seemingly vast darkness that ached to snatch her away. Shippou's kitsune fire might not be enough to chase the shadows away, but he could light the candle for her and so she was thankful for both of her friends.  
  
Kisho nodded, his brows creasing over his eyes, his thick bangs nearly hiding his shining, blue eyes.  
  
"Your Sesshoumaru-sama, he will come, right?"  
  
"Of course he will! Him and Kagome-chan, any day now."  
  
Again he nodded and then quickly left the room, locking it before walking quickly back towards his room. He hoped, for more reasons than one, that Rin was right about the western lord.  
  
~*~  
  
There was nothing to do as the group walked down a worn, dirt road. The entire group was surprised that during their days of travel they had only been attacked by a youkai once. It would seem that things had settled since Naraku's death, as if all of Japan could now rest peacefully without the presence of the evil hanyou to plague them.  
  
The villages they passed seemed happy and prosperous rather then frightened and destroyed. Sango was happy that people could now live without worrying about demons attacking, but she was also sad, seeing that there was not much work for a taijiyaa.  
  
Kagome noticed that Yukiko had become increasingly withdrawn since they had left one of the villages behind a few hours ago. In fact, the young woman had stopped in her tracks after Inuyasha reported that they weren't too far away from the sea; he could smell the salt in the air. Just as Kagome was contemplating asking her friend about what had frightened her, Yukiko called out from behind the group.  
  
"I-I can't go on," she stuttered out.  
  
Sighing in irritation, Inuyasha approached her.  
  
"Why the hell not? You tired? We haven't even been walking that long, you're worse then Kagome was when we started traveling."  
  
Shaking her head, Yukiko fought to remain as calm as possible. As of late she had been losing herself in the voices within her too often. When she was locked away inside her mind she heard them talk, they spoke of things she didn't want to remember, memories she only wanted to forget and feelings she didn't want to reveal.  
  
"You're going to a fishing village, right?"  
  
Kagome approached the girl slowly, speaking softly as if she thought Yukiko would bolt. As a matter of fact, the girl did resemble a nervous animal ready to flee at any sign of danger, or in her case, discomfort. Her head was lowered, eyes studying the ground, hands clutching at the sleeves of her kimono and her chest rose and fell rapidly as her breath quickened.  
  
"No, we're all going to the village. . . What's wrong?" Kagome asked in a soothing tone.  
  
"We're headed towards the village I grew up in. . . I-I can't return there, they don't want me back there."  
  
Kagome frowned and placed a comforting hand on the other girl's shoulder.  
  
"You don't have anything to fear, we're with you; they can't do anything to you. E-,"  
  
A voice interrupted the miko. Everyone turned towards the sound, Sango gasped and took a step forward.  
  
"Everything is going to be alright. Is that what you were going to say Kagome?"  
  
The kuroi miko stood there, her eyes dark and lifeless as she approached them. She was about to speak, when a voice, hoarse with disbelief, drew her attention.  
  
"Kami! How is this possible? My lady, what have you done?" Sango cried out, hurrying towards the dark priestess.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A huge thank you to all my reviewers and also an even bigger apology for the very very long wait for this chapter:  
  
Ptbear Lady Kaela Rhexi Riomi Jackie ~and~ Wolfie 


	14. A Change of Plans

The Path You Follow  
  
By: EvilNekoEatsYourSoul  
  
Author's note: 0_o My review numbers for each chapter are dwindling, probably because I don't update often enough. _ Infinitely sorry, but thanks for your continued reading and interest in this fic. I won't give up on it!  
  
Last time: The kuroi miko stood there, her eyes dark and lifeless as she approached them. She was about to speak, when a voice, hoarse with disbelief, drew her attention.  
  
"Kami! How is this possible? My lady, what have you done?" Sango cried out, hurrying towards the dark priestess.  
  
Chapter 13: A Change of Plans  
  
~*~  
  
Walking beneath the mass of thick branches offered by the trees to escape the intense rays of the afternoon sun, Sesshoumaru and Jaken ventured ever closer to the border of the northern lands. For reasons unknown to the toad- like youkai, his master had opted to travel on foot and so travel was much slower then he had anticipated.  
  
'I thought we'd have gotten the little brats days ago. For some reason Sesshoumaru-sama is taking his time about getting them back... Perhaps he intends to finally be rid of Rin and the other humans as well! Then it will be just like old times...'sighing in contentment at his conclusion, Jaken continued to plod along behind his master.  
  
"Jaken," the silver-haired youkai said, his voice low and dangerous. It was a tone that made the retainer shiver; it was a tone that he hadn't heard in a while. "Be wary. We are now entering the northern lands."  
  
"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!"  
  
They continued on, Sesshoumaru once again ignoring the quiet mumblings of the smaller youkai. It would not be long now, until he met his first opponent, of that he was sure. If the northern lord did not come and confront him in person, then he would most likely send one of his many sons or perhaps even several of them to face the taiyoukai of the west.  
  
If everything went according to plan then by the end of the day the northern lands would be up for grabs, the entire clan would pay for their father's mistake and the rest of youkai society would learn as well. They would see that despite the company he kept he was still capable of destruction.  
  
A slight change in the breeze brought a scent to Sesshoumaru and made him pause in his footsteps. He waited patiently for the bird youkai to come down from the treetops and was not disappointed when a moment later someone gracefully fell to the earth, landing in a half bow. The youkai had short blond hair and sharp amber eyes that were a shade or two darker then Sesshoumaru's.  
  
"Konnichiwa, Sesshoumaru."  
  
The inu youkai inclined his head slightly in a silent greeting, his amber eyes watching every movement made by the other youkai. Stretching out his senses, he tested the aura of his opponent and found it lacking, only slightly more powerful then that of a ningen. But it shouldn't be so, the young man in front of him was obviously a pure blooded youkai, and yet there was something tainting his jyaki, decreasing the strength of his energy.  
  
"I am Saburo; third son of Choukichirou-sama of the Northern lands. I have been sent here to guide you to the castle."  
  
Sesshoumaru snorted disdainfully and took a few steps towards Saburo, his claws reaching out to wrap around the younger youkai's throat. He felt a few warm trickles of blood touch his palm as his grip tightened, watched as the other's eyes went wide with fear his jaw opening in a silent gasp.  
  
Gathering his strength, Saburo tried fruitlessly to yank the hand away from his throat. But it was not enough, his lungs were burning from lack of air and all he could see was a pair of fierce golden eyes boring into him.  
  
"Your guidance is unnecessary," it was said so smoothly, as if addressing the most mundane of issues, "as is your existence."  
  
With one swift movement of his arm, and a sickening 'snap,' Sesshoumaru ended that particular battle before it had begun. Wordlessly, he stepped over the corpse and continued towards the castle of his enemy.  
  
"Perhaps you will be wise enough not to challenge one such as Sesshoumaru- sama in your next life!" Jaken croaked before hurrying after his lord.  
  
~*~  
  
The cool blue eyes seemed to shimmer with mirth and were wide and innocent looking despite the fact that they had seen more then a century. Ringlets of bronze colored hair framed delicate cheekbones highlighted with a faint blush. Her skin was lightly tanned, her lips set in coy smirk. It was a beautiful portrait, the only one existence. It had been commissioned just a few days before her death; in fact it hadn't even been finished until after the tragic accident. The artist had completed it from memory alone, but he had gotten every detail, captured the emotions within her so well.  
  
Sighing, Kisho gently ran his knuckles against the colored canvas. It wasn't a particularly large painting, only about a foot and a half wide and perhaps two feet long. But it was his treasured possession, kept in his room, hidden away from everyone else. The only other person who had seen it was the artist himself.  
  
At times he felt as if his mother watched him from that painting, he imagined that her brows furrowed a bit when he was angry or sad, or that her smile was brighter when he had done something particularly clever. He wondered how she would feel about his actions now, if she would have hated his father, as he did now. Though his mother had not been a spiteful person, he could not help but think that she would want him to avenge her death.  
  
Brushing his own bronze bangs away from his eyes, the young youkai walked to the other side of his small room. Picking up a flask of water sitting amongst at least a dozen of it's kind, he opened it and took a sip. Kisho looked out of the window located in the western wall of his room and saw that the sun had not yet reached its zenith. If his plan were to succeed then the taiyoukai would have to come within the next two days or the water supply would not last.  
  
It was true that youkai did not need to eat, at least not as often as ningens did but there was one thing they absolutely needed in order to sustain life and that was water. Though they could last longer then a human without water it was possible for them to become dehydrated.  
  
With his flask in hand Kisho left his room, being sure to lock the door behind him. His father's aura lingered around the corner and he had guessed correctly, the older youkai's intention of seeking him out.  
  
"He's headed here," Choukichirou said, looking at his youngest son.  
  
There were no other words were needed and so Kisho nodded and walked past his father. Apparently, his worry had been for naught because Sesshoumaru had already entered the northern lands.  
  
~*~  
  
"La la la la la la la la..."  
  
"Rin."  
  
"Hum hum hum hum hum huuummmm..."  
  
"RIN"  
  
"Doot doot doot..."  
  
"RIN!!!"  
  
"La hum doot..."  
  
"Rin, shut up!"  
  
The ningen girl stuck her tongue out at Shippou before continuing her tuneless singing.  
  
"Kagome!!!!" Shippou whined above Rin's noise, "save me!!!!"  
  
~*~  
  
There was a general stir within the castle as the youkai within it sensed that something was coming; something was about to happen. A few, who had been able to glean the information of Rin's identity, knew exactly who it was headed towards the castle. Some of them chose to flee, uncertain of who was the stronger youkai; their father, Choukichirou or the reputedly dangerous Sesshoumaru.  
  
Among those who stayed there were only four who knew the northern lord's exact plans. Of those four one was now dead. The three remaining conspirators paced nervously in the courtyard, having sensed immediately the death of their sibling. Their father was nowhere to be found.  
  
Sneaking quietly through the interior of the castle, a particularly burly golden-haired youkai headed towards the room where the captives were being held. The one who possessed them would be the one with power over the western lord, so it was that he had decided to be that particular person. If nothing else, he could ensure his safe escape from Sesshoumaru's wrath.  
  
Around the next corner he could hear the clash of metal, frowning he took a few steps ahead but kept the majority of his body hidden behind the wall. Already there were three others there, swords drawn and clanging against each other. Apparently, he had not been the only one with the idea to use the two children as bargaining tools.  
  
A grin formed upon his lips as yet another plan formed within his mind. Why not let them fight? Once they had destroyed one another he would take on the weary victor and then take the children for himself. Just as he was mentally going over his plan, there was a sound from behind him. Before he could react something collided with the back of his head and sent him sprawling forward, his hand rubbing at the now tender spot.  
  
"What the hell is going on here?" the northern lord's eyes glared coldly at his sons. He didn't need to ask; he already knew exactly what they had been thinking.  
  
"If you're that hungry for blood, then by all means, why don't you go and greet the western lord... or perhaps that is what you are trying to avoid?"  
  
All of them looked away guiltily.  
  
"Pathetic, all of you! If you don't have the courage to protect your home than leave before I kill you myself."  
  
Behind Choukichirou, Kisho stood, his face blank of emotion as he watched what occurred between his father and siblings. The other four stood, warily watching the northern lord as they left.  
  
"My orders, otousan?" Kisho asked.  
  
Glancing down at his youngest son, he placed a clawed hand atop the boy's head.  
  
"It was smart of you to report this to me," he said, indicating what had just transpired between the four youkai. "You have gained my trust Kisho, perhaps mating your mother was not a mistake after all."  
  
The older youkai turned away, and so did not notice the fire gleaming in his son's eyes or the way his fists were clenched tightly at his sides.  
  
"You are to stay here and watch over the ningen. Afterwards, you shall be rewarded," and with that Choukichirou left.  
  
Kisho's bitter eyes followed his father's movements down the hall.  
  
"Hai, otousan," he whispered, "I will be rewarded. But not by you."  
  
~*~  
  
It wasn't long until the northern castle came into sight and suddenly Sesshoumaru was filled with excitement. It was reported that the northern lord had thirteen sons, and he would enjoy slaying every last one of them. In what seemed nothing more then a flash of light to ningen eyes, Sesshoumaru sprinted forward.  
  
Within the open courtyard stood three youkai, all of them falcons, just like the northern lord himself. No doubt, they were more of his many sons. But, like the one he had encountered before, each had a weakened aura. They themselves didn't seem aware of it as each drew their sword. Apparently the plan was to attack all at once.  
  
They weren't particularly swift, they moved nearly as slowly as ningens and so Sesshoumaru was left a few seconds to ponder his strategy. He was sorely tempted to take their lives without the use of his weapons; his energy whip would have been an ideal attack for multiple enemies. What made him change his mind was the pulsing of Toukijin at his side, as if the powerful weapon could sense that blood would be shed and longed to taste it.  
  
Just as the first one reached within attacking distance, Sesshoumaru drew Toukijin in his right hand and used it to parry the first strike. A second later he also drew Tenseiga, to use as a defense against the other two swords. Though the Tenseiga would not cause harm, it was capable of catching the blades that were aimed for him.  
  
For a few minutes he just blocked and dodged attacks taking the offensive only rarely. Reveling in the fluid way his muscles moved, enjoying the sounds of metal upon metal and the smell of blood from the few innocuous wounds he inflicted.  
  
Soon enough the swordplay grew boring and Sesshoumaru jumped out of range of his opponent's weapons. Then, in one smooth motion, Toukijin came up in an arch and the jyaki he had been holding in check until then was released. There was a bright flash of energy that consumed the three brothers.  
  
When the energy had died down, there was no sign that the three youkai had even existed, although one of the front walls of the castle had been destroyed by the attack. Sheathing both Toukijin and Tenseiga, Sesshoumaru began to approach the castle's entrance; already his senses were stretching out to find his two wards.  
  
"What does that make the score now? Four for you and zero for me, is that correct?"  
  
Sesshoumaru nearly snorted, watching as the northern lord jumped from a balcony into the courtyard.  
  
"Is that what this is to you; a game? Do you find enjoyment in my... eradication of your sons?"  
  
Choukichirou shrugged, he did not appear troubled by the loss of his offspring.  
  
"I have more sons, and unlike you I do not find procreation to be a difficult task."  
  
It took a large amount of will power to ignore that insult to his virility, but Sesshoumaru stayed silent.  
  
"However, my intention had not been to start a physical confrontation such as this; I had hoped you would be willing to negotiate for the girl rather then coming here for blood."  
  
Seeing his words had very little effect on the inu-youkai, Choukichirou drew his sword from the sheath strapped at his side. Sesshoumaru followed suit, his eyes never leaving his opponent.  
  
~*~  
  
Sango fell forward onto her knees, bowing her head before the woman standing in front of her. The kuroi miko smiled, her dark wavy hair swaying gently in a stray breeze. Everyone else shared startled glances, the silence was broken momentarily when Yukiko let out a piercing scream and fell to her knees with her hands clutching at her head. No one moved, except for Inuyasha who quickly drew Tetsusaiga from its sheathe.  
  
Kagome fixed her eyes on her friend kneeling on the ground, if she did not look at the dark miko then the woman would have no power over her. Her left cheek began to burn fiercely, apparently the curse symbol was reacting to the presence of its creator.  
  
"Do you know me, Sango?"  
  
The taijiyaa's eyes were fixed upon the grass beneath her, her hair, tied in its usual high ponytail swung from side to side when she nodded her head in an affirmative answer.  
  
"Hai, I do Midoriko-sama." Dark, tinkling laughter filled the air as the kuroi miko threw her head back. She ignored Miroku as he slowly approached, his hand reaching out for Sango's shoulder.  
  
"There has to be some mistake..." Kagome whispered.  
  
Sango shook her head, ignoring the houshi's hand tugging on her shoulder.  
  
"You've only seen her image once, I grew up in the taijiyaa village and often visited the cave where Midoriko's last moments were lived, I know the face caught within the stone; this is her."  
  
Miroku, who had given up trying to tug Sango back towards their group, but nevertheless stayed by her side, nodded in agreement.  
  
"This woman does resemble the miko-warrior who created the Shikon no tama, I remember when Sango took us to examine the cave. I wouldn't forget the face of a beautiful woman..."  
  
Since her head was still bowed Miroku didn't notice when Sango's eye began to twitch and she abruptly stood to slap the monk.  
  
"I grow tired of all your bickering," Midoriko's like-ness drawled.  
  
No one but the kuroi miko noticed when Yukiko's form stood behind the group, the eyes a fierce blue. They did notice, however, when a large amount of energy was let loose by the girl, headed directly for their enemy.  
  
The attack was easily evaded, and again there was laughter coming from the dark-eyed woman.  
  
"Still out for my blood?"  
  
The blue eyes narrowed, and Takehiko rushed forward.  
  
"Of course, once you're dead I can be free of this wretched girl's body!"  
  
"Oh, is that so? And where will you go? Your body has long since turned to waste without your spirit to inhabit it."  
  
Both women went still, their eyes meeting from where each stood.  
  
"However," Koridomi continued, "you can't all live inside of that girl's body forever either. She's a weak ningen, she'll most likely die soon."  
  
Putting a thoughtful look on her face and raising her hand to rest beneath her chin she offered her solution, "You could always use the Shikon no tama to wish for new bodies."  
  
Kagome stiffened, her hand instantly going to the jewel hanging from her throat as Inuyasha took a defensive stance in front of her with both Sango and Miroku close behind. The blue eyes set into Yukiko's face turned towards the group appraisingly.  
  
"That could work."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Thank you to all my reviewers * sniffle * I love you guys! :  
  
Ptbear Topaz Aira^o^ And Snowcat 


	15. In Folly Ripe, in Reason Rotten

The Path You Follow  
  
By: EvilNekoEatsYourSoul  
  
Author's note: Here's the next chapter! The beginning of this chapter is a bit confusing. Lines like this: ~words~ are from the poem 'The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd,' by Sir Walter Raleigh (oh, the title is from the poem as well). If anyone is interested I'll post that poem along with another poem that goes along with it on my homepage. Hope you enjoy and please review!  
  
Last time: Kagome stiffened, her hand instantly going to the jewel hanging from her throat as Inuyasha took a defensive stance in front of her with both Sango and Miroku close behind. The blue eyes set into Yukiko's face turned towards the group appraisingly.  
  
"That could work."  
  
Chapter 14: In Folly Ripe, in Reason Rotten  
  
~*~  
  
"Sesshoumaru," the name echoed in her head, a silent mantra that somehow gave her strength.  
  
~If all the world and love were young...~  
  
At that moment her heart ached for him. A deep, piercing, wonderful hurt in her chest that made her eyes water. It was so ridiculous to be worrying about him at such an inconvenient time. Although the kuroi miko had gone, she had planted a seed of rebellion within the spirits residing in Yukiko.  
  
They were being attacked by one of their allies and all she saw was silver hair, golden eyes, cheeks lined with crimson stripes and a stern frown. 'What's wrong with me?' Kagome thought as she narrowly missed being hit by one of Takehiko's wayward blasts.  
  
In all the background noises she could hear Inuyasha cursing vehemently. In her hands Kagome could feel the smooth wood bow and the quiver of arrows hanging from her shoulder and resting on her back. Blindly, she reached for an arrow and without much thought she knocked it.  
  
They couldn't fight her forever. Something had to be done soon, but the question was, what? If they killed Takehiko it would mean the death of Yukiko as well, and killing an innocent girl was unacceptable.  
  
Then there was the smirk that Sesshoumaru sometimes wore to bed...  
  
Sango was calling out to Miroku, a panicked tone tinting her voice.  
  
The sweet words he would whisper into her ear when it was just the two of them...  
  
~A honey tongue, a heart of gall...~  
  
If Yukiko could just take control of her body, if they could get her to overcome Takehiko...  
  
~A honey tongue...~  
  
The small endearing things he said that made her heart flutter uncontrollably, that made her weak in the knees but strengthened her heart at the same time.  
  
~A heart of gall...~  
  
~Is fancy's spring, but sorrow's... fall.~  
  
"Inuyasha," she heard herself whisper.  
  
A tornado of thoughts spun through her head; uneasy glances, adoring eyes, innocent touches, a hidden attraction. It was easy noticing these things; she had lived through that phase, loving someone you could never hope to have.  
  
"Inuyasha," she said it louder and this time it reached his sensitive ears.  
  
"What, can't you see I'm a little busy right now?"  
  
He dodged another blast of energy, Tetsusaiga was drawn but he wasn't using it offensively. For the most part, Kagome wasn't being targeted, most likely because hitting her would mean hitting the Shikon no tama and perhaps damaging what the possessed Yukiko needed in order to save herself.  
  
"Talk to her Inuyasha."  
  
"Why?"  
  
To her right, Miroku pushed Sango to the side towards the transformed Kirara while using his staff to divert another blast.  
  
"Just do it! I'll explain later."  
  
"Hey you stupid wench! You're not getting your dirty hands on the Shikon no tama so why don't you just give up!"  
  
Kagome sighed, hitting the palm of her hand against her forehead in an exasperated way.  
  
"Not like that! Say something nice to her; something that will make Yukiko come back!"  
  
Kirara flew towards Takehiko with Sango on her back holding Hiraikotsu, they tried to get close enough to at least subdue the girl. But they didn't seem to be getting far, preoccupied as they were with dodging the attacks.  
  
Inuyasha rolled his eyes a 'why me?' look on his face.  
  
"Yukiko," Kagome yelled, "you have to take control of yourself! I know you can do it, we all do!"  
  
There was a small, almost imperceptible pause of movement, for that second she faltered and slowly, Kagome began to move towards the girl.  
  
"I told you before that everything was going to be alright and I still believe that. We can help you if you let us. All you have to do is concentrate, think of everything that is important to you; everything you love."  
  
As Kagome drew closer, she could see beads of perspiration forming on Takehiko's brow.  
  
"That's right," Inuyasha confirmed from her side, "you're part of our group now and I won't let anything happen to you. I always protect my friends."  
  
The hands that had been releasing the destructive energy moments ago fell to Takehiko's side and her knees shook and gave, causing her to fall to the forest floor. Her body began to quiver and shaky hands went to rest above her heart as her eyes drifted shut.  
  
"I-Inuyasha?" the voice was soft and timid, full of fear and doubt but it was Yukiko's and upon hearing it Kagome rushed to the girls side.  
  
As soon as Kagome touched her Yukiko fell into the miko's arms and began to cough violently as a few tears fell from her closed eyelids. Her chest burned and ached from both lack of air and the force with which her coughs shook her ribs. It was the only movements the weakened girl could make. After about a minute the coughing subsided and she was able to speak.  
  
"Kill me," was the first words she whispered.  
  
Inuyasha huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. He recalled a time when Kagome had been possessed as well, unable to control her actions and seeking to kill him; but at that time Kagome hadn't made such a ridiculous request.  
  
"Feh! What is it with you stupid girls being so damn dramatic all the time?"  
  
"It's the only way to stop them... It hurts, to hold them like this."  
  
"If you would just shut up for a minute, we can think of a way to save you wench!"  
  
"Inuyasha... osuwari."  
  
The hanyou went crashing to the ground, creating an oddly shaped hole and cursing. Yukiko kept talking as if she couldn't hear.  
  
"You're my friends; I don't want to hurt you but I can't fight them. I'm too weak."  
  
"I know how you feel, but if you could just hold on a little longer I have an idea."  
  
As she gently lay the girl down to rest and hopefully keep a hold over her own body, Kagome wondered at the girl's timing. It would seem she had been correct in her assessment of Yukiko; she had been able to fight off the spirits right after Inuyasha had spoken.  
  
'Love is a strange thing. I wonder, if his voice could call me back if my mind were lost.' Just thinking of Sesshoumaru's voice made her shiver. He was powerful; immortal and in so many ways he was wrong for her.  
  
~But could youth last and love still breed, Had joys no date nor age no need, Then these delights my mind might move To live with thee and be thy love.~  
  
~*~  
  
"Where are we going?" Rin asked, walking happily next to Kisho and holding the youkai's hand as Shippou pouted, walking behind them.  
  
Kisho eyed the girl a bit skeptically, she didn't seem at all afraid that they were wandering around the empty castle of her captor. She, in fact, seemed oblivious to everything and continued to chatter nonsensically. There was also the fact that she would not let go of his hand that made him a bit uneasy.  
  
From his position behind them, Shippou paused, his brow creasing and his nose twitching.  
  
"Sesshoumaru is here," Shippou said.  
  
"Hai, he is. I'm going to put you somewhere safe until he is ready to take you home."  
  
"Liar! You're probably going to hide us so that he can't find us!" he accused, taking a few steps backwards to put distance between himself and the older youkai. Rin frowned, looking thoughtfully up at Kisho.  
  
"I'm going to find him!" with that, Shippou took off in the opposite direction, using his nose to guide him to a window or door through which he could leave.  
  
Sighing in irritation at the kitsune's constant distrust of him, Kisho thought of his next course of action. However, Rin had no such misgivings about what they should do next and tugged on his hand as she took chase after Shippou.  
  
"Matte, Shippou! I want to see Sesshoumaru-sama too!"  
  
'We might as well go to them,' Kisho thought as he followed the girl attached to his hand. 'I'd like to see the look on my father's face when this ends.'  
  
~*~  
  
There was definitely something wrong. He could still sense his jyaki, but it was like he couldn't touch it; it hovered just out of his reach. For the last few hours he had noticed small things, like not being able to sense as fully the presence of his children. When some of them left he hadn't been made aware until Kisho told him. But now it was obvious, his eyes, keen with the vision of a bird of prey, could not capture the quick movements of his opponent. When he himself moved, it was forced, not with the easy grace he was used to. It felt like he was fighting to push himself beyond his limits when in reality he was as weak as... a human.  
  
He had no idea what could cause this sudden change within him; he wondered if his sons had felt that way before they died as well. When that thought struck him panic began to set in. The lord of the Western lands was known for his precise, cold-blooded killing technique. Choukichirou had thought himself a formidable opponent, but without his youkai abilities he was nothing. He was sure that Sesshoumaru was just toying with him.  
  
The fact of the matter was that Sesshoumaru wasn't taking his time in killing the Northern lord just for the sake of toying with the youkai, but instead he was concentrating on the other youkai auras around them. There was rumored to be thirteen sons belonging to his opponent, he had killed four so that left nine more. He stretched his senses until he could sense jyaki within a one-mile radius of his current position; so far he had detected five youkai.  
  
If his nose was correct one of those youkai was Kagome's kitsune, which meant that four were most likely enemies that he should be wary of, even if every fight so far had been thoroughly disappointing and anti-climatic. Feeling rather irritated at the fact that not one of the youkai in this place had met eve his lowest expectations of their fighting ability, Sesshoumaru decided to end the current battle.  
  
~*~  
  
There was one talent he had received from his mother that no living person knew of. He could speak telepathically. When he entered the courtyard behind Shippou, they both paused just outside of the doorway and Kisho had pushed Rin behind him to keep her from running into the potentially dangerous fight. It was then that he chose to speak to his father.  
  
'Having a difficult time, otousan?'  
  
'Kisho!' he heard his name reverberating in his father's mind and smiled wickedly.  
  
Just before Toukijin went through the Northern lord's chest, Sesshoumaru saw Choukichirou pause and frown, glancing behind him. Looking to that area as well, Sesshoumaru saw Shippou standing in front of another youkai, whose eyes looked triumphantly at the youkai impaled on the fang sword. From behind the two youkai, a dark head peeked out from directly behind the adolescent youkai, her innocent brown eyes seeing nothing but her guardian.  
  
Choukichirou fell to the ground, not yet dead but drifting somewhere between the physical and spiritual worlds. Rin ran towards them, her eyes never leaving her Sesshoumaru-sama, Shippou followed slowly after her, his eyes studying the bleeding youkai on the ground.  
  
Shippou spoke upon reaching his saviors side, "Where's Kagome?" he asked.  
  
Ignoring him, Sesshoumaru continued to watch the bronze haired youkai now kneeling next to Choukichirou. His keen ears picked up the words between them.  
  
"You did this?" the Northern lord questioned.  
  
"Hai, it is a poison I found in one of my mother's books. If you were ningen you would be dead, but for a youkai it just dulls their senses, making them weak but not killing them. I poured nearly a whole barrel of it into the castle's water supply; after securing water for myself and the 'prisoners,' of course."  
  
The once proud youkai went silent, his ego keeping him from asking that one last question that Kisho yearned to hear.  
  
"You want to ask me why," Kisho's voice was even as he drew the dagger that was tucked into his sash, "I know you won't ask it aloud, but I'll tell you."  
  
It was strange, that he felt closer to his father at that moment than ever before, if only for the reason that his previously fearless father now felt some of the anguish he had experienced throughout his life. Nevertheless, the dagger was poised above the injured youkai, the point digging into the skin above his heart.  
  
"My mother, you killed her. You killed her even as she held me in her arms that night and then you dismissed my presence. I hate you," he said simply, not letting the emotions welling within him show as he spoke. But his usually calm features distorted in anger when the youkai before him had the audacity to snort.  
  
"Your mother was a worthless whore who-,"  
  
He never had the chance to finish, the dagger went straight into his heart and the hilt stuck out from his chest even as Kisho stood and walked away.  
  
~*~  
  
The sun was just beginning to set as Kagome plucked the last of the herbs she needed from the forest ground. Inuyasha walked silently beside her, he had in fact, stayed silent the entire time she was gathering ingredients.  
  
Together they headed back towards the camp that Sango, Yukiko and Miroku had been left at. Just as they were about to enter the clearing, Inuyasha grabbed her elbow and pulled her to the side behind a bush, silencing her with his serious look before she could speak. After her momentary shock wore off she could hear the voices of her friends.  
  
"You should be more careful, Houshi-sama," Sango scolded, Kagome imagined that the taijiyaa was tending to the burn Miroku had received that afternoon. "There's no reason for you to be so reckless anymore now that the Kazaana is gone. You have a full life ahead of you."  
  
"Hai, Sango. I just didn't want to see you get hurt. Your safety was the first thing in my mind."  
  
Smiling, Kagome could imagine the flustered state Sango must be in due to the monk's admission. She internally prayed that he would keep his wandering hands to himself.  
  
"Miroku, I-I can take care of myself I don't-,"  
  
"I know you don't need anyone to watch over you, but I'd like to if you would allow it..."  
  
Before Sango could reply the moment was shattered by a pain-filled groan. For the entire afternoon Yukiko had been drifting in and out of consciousness, only waking when a coughing fit came over her. Deeming it was safe to continue, Inuyasha stood and entered the clearing with Kagome following behind him.  
  
"Do you need any help, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked; her cheeks looking a bit flushed.  
  
"Well, if you could get some water boiling that would be great."  
  
As Sango readied the water, Kagome placed the herbs she had gathered a few feet away from the fire before walking over to check on Yukiko.  
  
She was paler than usual, her lips a ghastly shade of white with specks of dark blood dried upon them. Though she wasn't sure if it was just a trick of the fading light, Kagome thought the girl's face looked thinner, like the skin was pulled taut over the fine bones of her face. If it weren't for the sounds of her labored breathing, Kagome might have thought her to be dead already. It was obvious that the strain of keeping herself in tact, a task that took no effort for normal people, was weighing heavily upon her already brittle health.  
  
With renewed energy, Kagome turned back to her task. In truth, she didn't need to expend much energy, all she had to do was boil some of the herbs. Usually some of the other ingredients would be dried and then ground into a fine powder, but since time was definitely not on their side, she had to use them as they were; fresh. All that really meant was that she should use more of them since the drying process intensified the potency of the herb.  
  
When everything had been added and all that was left to do was to wait as they simmered in the boiling water, Inuyasha sat beside her, sniffing at the mixture.  
  
"Ugh, that stinks! What is this great plan of yours anyways?"  
  
A breeze made her shiver despite the long robes she wore. Inuyasha took off the top of his fire rat haori and draped it over her shoulders. Kagome didn't answer him until a minute later, her eyes focused on the fire.  
  
"It's a sleeping elixir, if Yukiko's body is sleeping then it cannot be controlled. At least, that is what I'm hoping for," her voice was soft, and it seemed like there was more she wanted to say.  
  
'I feel very lonely right now. I wish Sesshoumaru were here,' she thought.  
  
"Why did you make so much?"  
  
"We don't know when we'll find Kor- I mean, Midoriko. If we don't find her soon then I plan to take the elixir myself. Hopefully it will buy you guys more time, though it'll probably only last for a day."  
  
Inuyasha placed his hand upon her shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly.  
  
"Don't worry Kagome, we'll find her before that happens, but... there's something I don't get. Miroriko's soul is supposed to be in the Shikon no tama, right? So how is it that the kuroi miko is Midoriko?"  
  
"Ah, Inuyasha that is a good question. I myself have been pondering that all day," Miroku said, sitting across the fire from Kagome. Sango took a seat next to the young miko.  
  
"And?" Kagome asked.  
  
"If I recall correctly, Kikyou-sama also died and was resurrected, correct?"  
  
Everyone nodded, waiting patiently for the houshi to continue.  
  
"After Kagome-sama took back her soul, it was only the memory of her hate that kept her animated, that along with the souls she stole to sustain herself. I think that perhaps, this may be the case with Midoriko as well. Midoriko was a powerful priestess with a soul pure enough to instantly purify the youkai she fought. Kikyou-sama was a priestess with an immense spiritual energy and an unblemished soul that could sustain the purity of the Shikon no tama. But in death, Kikyou-sama became embittered even though she had used her life in an effort to save the world from the havoc that could have been caused should a demon get a hold of the Shikon no tama. Perhaps Midoriko was like that as well."  
  
"So, you mean to say that you think the kuroi miko is the darker parts of Midoriko's soul that escaped being caught in the Shikon no tama?" Kagome asked.  
  
"Perhaps," Miroku replied, "but I don't think it was that the ire within her 'escaped,' it was most likely purged. For Midoriko to form a jewel such as the Shikon no tama and to battle against the negative energy of the youkai, she had to be completely pure and so the negative parts of her had to be separated otherwise the positive energy in the jewel may have been overcome by the negative energy."  
  
The group fell silent once again, Miroku and Sango looked thoughtful, Kagome continued to stare into the fire; her face blank and Inuyasha...  
  
"I don't get it," the hanyou said, sitting down against a tree and pouting.  
  
Kagome smiled and rolled her eyes.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Eeep! You guys are my only two reviewers last chapter. Well, then I'm even more grateful for your reviews. Thanks a bunch!  
  
Stacerue ptbear 


	16. Counting The Days

The Path You Follow  
  
By: EvilNekoEatsYourSoul  
  
Author's note: Kind of an uneventful chapter, but we're getting close to the end. I'm thinking there's about three more chapters left in the story and most likely an epilogue afterwards.  
  
On an entirely different note: I've actually worked on my homepage and figured out how to make it look more... decent at least. So if you have time please check it out, I even scanned some pictures from Inuyasha stuff that I have and have available for download my three favorite Inuyasha songs: My Will; Fukai Mori and Dearest. Of course, my fics are posted there as well. Oh, now that I think about it I'm going to go and put an mp3 of the little song Rin sang in Chapter 6 (it came from the Inuyasha anime episode #77). So those of you who haven't seen that far into the anime can at least hear how kawaii Rin sounds when she sings it!  
  
Last time: The group fell silent once again, Miroku and Sango looked thoughtful. Kagome continued to stare into the fire; her face blank and Inuyasha...  
  
"I don't get it," the hanyou said, sitting down against a tree and pouting.  
  
Kagome smiled and rolled her eyes.  
  
Chapter 15: Counting The Days  
  
~*~  
  
The young youkai standing before Sesshoumaru looked nothing like the Northern lord, but the boy admitted freely that he was indeed one of the thirteen sons of Choukichirou. Despite the fact that he was a child he had a pensive look about him, his posture rigid and his lips set in a deep frown. There lingered upon him the stench of his father's blood, it also stained his hands and clothing.  
  
Knowing his life hung upon the thin thread of Sesshoumaru's whim, Kisho bowed deeply and waited for the Western lord to speak. Beside the taiyoukai stood Rin, who fidgeted nervously, looking back and forth between the two of them. Shippou was off to the side, his small arms crossed over his chest and his eyes shimmering with moisture. Every once in a while the kitsune could be heard saying, 'where's Kagome?'  
  
"Where are the rest of your siblings?" Sesshoumaru questioned. There had been several youkai around the area during his abrupt battle but he could no longer sense them.  
  
"Gone I suppose. I believe they ran away once they were sure my otousan would lose; our family is somewhat lacking in loyalty as you might have guessed," to emphasis his point, the boy raised his bloodied claws.  
  
Sesshoumaru fell silent, his mind far away; back in the Western lands where a blue-eyed woman was searching for more weight to put upon her shoulders, as if it wasn't enough that she had to carry the Shikon no tama. He had, by all youkai laws and rights, conquered the Northern lands even if he hadn't meant to, but he felt that his true obligation was by Kagome's side, searching for the kuroi miko who had cursed her. But there was also the threat of Choukichirou's living sons coming to claim the north once again.  
  
At his side, Rin tugged upon one of his sleeves, "Anou... Sesshoumaru-sama, where is Kagome-chan? Didn't she come with you?"  
  
And just like that the decision was made. He didn't want the Northern lands, all he wanted was to find Kagome. Now all that was left to deal with was the boy... Sesshoumaru's glaring eyes turned once again towards the bronze haired youkai. Again, Rin's small hands yanked at his clothing.  
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama... you're not going to hurt Kisho, are you? He helped me and Shippou."  
  
It was what Kisho had been waiting for. He had known by the way Rin spoke of the Western lord that even if Sesshoumaru decided to kill him that Rin would be able to sway him from that course of action. Now, he could see hesitation within the golden eyes. In truth, Kisho had no one left, no family, no home, nothing. No true reason to live.  
  
"What will you do now, rule over the Northern lands?"  
  
The tense muscles in his shoulders relaxed a bit, his eyes closing in thanks. Though he had nothing to really live for there was an undeniable yearning for life and that omnipresent fear of death.  
  
"Iie," Kisho answered, smiling a bit sadly, "I want nothing of my father's. I'll leave the north, go anywhere that isn't this place."  
  
"Oh! You should come with us. I want you to meet Kagome-chan!" Rin said enthusiastically.  
  
The inu-youkai could not think of any reason why the boy could not do so, if Rin wished it to be so. Kagome, he knew, liked children. Despite his serious disposition the boy was still that; a boy most likely in need of guidance.  
  
"My-," Sesshoumaru began but fell silent for a moment. What was Kagome to him? She was not his mate by youkai standards, they were not married in the human tradition and she was not just 'his woman,' he loathed to use such a term.  
  
"My companion," he decided, "she has a fondness for strays," Sesshoumaru glanced meaningfully at the kitsune.  
  
But Kisho shook his head, his eyes turned upward towards the night sky, focusing on the moon.  
  
"Arigato, it's a kind offer but I've decided I don't want to be around youkai anymore. It's not the type of life I can live; I don't have that kind of strength. If I had a choice I would become human and live a simple life, work in the rice paddies, find a mate have children and just die peacefully in my old age. Youkai can only die when we are slain; a bitter end for a bitter entity."  
  
Sesshoumaru frowned at the absurdity of the boy's words. Rin had wandered off and was now snuggled beside the kitsune; both children asleep against the trunk of a tree.  
  
"So, I guess this means you're letting me go?"  
  
For the moment he ignored the question and asked one of his own, "What did you know of Choukichirou's plans?"  
  
"Nothing," he answered honestly, "a year ago he told me I was to marry a ningen girl and then without warning one day he showed up with Rin and Shippou. He gave me the task of caring for them but told me nothing of what he planned to do."  
  
Sensing the truth of his words, Sesshoumaru turned his back to the younger youkai, "You are free to leave."  
  
Kisho grinned and turned east, not really knowing where he was going but nevertheless, feeling excited and free. A few feet away from where he had been talking to the Western lord, he picked up a sack filled with a few necessities. It was his first time walking through the deep forest surrounding the Northern castle and he slowed his footsteps, taking the time to admire the scenery.  
  
~*~  
  
Her mind stayed on the brink of consciousness although her eyes were closed and her body yearned for rest. It could not be helped, she was afraid to sleep, afraid of what kinds of dreams would haunt her weary mind. Afraid that when she awoke she would find herself as she was when she had fallen asleep; without the company of her lover.  
  
Despite all her optimism she was uncertain of the future. There were too many variables and not enough certainties. Where could they find Midoriko? How could they destroy her? There was no escaping the fierce edges of reality, not even in her dreams because that is when she was the most vulnerable.  
  
Just a few feet away she could hear the whispers of her friends.  
  
"We can't kill her Miroku! She's a legend; practically a saint!"  
  
"Sango... I understand what you're saying but do you really believe that woman we met today to be a saint? Don't forget what she did to Kagome and Yukiko."  
  
"I know but-,"  
  
"You mustn't think of her as Midoriko. That person died a long time ago when the Shikon no tama was made. Her soul rests within the jewel itself. The kuroi miko and Midoriko are not the same person; just as the Kikyou who was resurrected was not the same as the Kikyou who had protected the Shikon."  
  
'Her soul is in the Shikon no tama,' Kagome thought, holding the jewel tightly in her fist. 'That must mean something, they're connected; but how?'  
  
From her position, Kagome heard Sango sigh, but remained as she was in a semblance of sleep.  
  
'Sleep, dreams, the Shikon no tama and Midoriko dreams; that's right. I don't want to dream."  
  
"Where should we look for her?" Sango asked.  
  
'A woman; Midoriko. Chanting; the curse. The statue... It wasn't a statue, all this time I've had this dream and it never occurred to me. Midoriko and the youkai she fought when she created the Shikon no tama; they were caught in stone and that is what I've been dreaming of,' Kagome groaned aloud and stood, startling her friends who had suspected she was asleep all this time.  
  
"I've figured it out," she announced, looking around for Inuyasha. Figuring that he was probably in a tree somewhere nearby, she continued.  
  
"We go to Sango's village; that's where she'll be waiting for us. I've been dreaming of the cave there all this time and I only now realized it."  
  
Kagome heard a light 'thud' from behind her and then Inuyasha spoke, apparently having left the tree he had been sitting in.  
  
"Feh, took you long enough to figure it out! Let's go already," Inuyasha was about to take off into the night when Kagome said one word that stopped him in his tracks... and consequently, slammed his face into the ground.  
  
"Osuwari. Don't forget Inuyasha; we're ningens, we need rest!"  
  
~*~  
  
Sweet, angelic music kissed her ears as a cool breeze took her into a light embrace. It was all so perfect. It was impossible for anything even remotely malignant to exist. Yet, she was able to linger in such a place-a person who had been considered useless and burdensome all her life, nothing but a parasite upon those around her.  
  
But something within her had changed suddenly. There was a mental 'snap,' and things in her mind had shifted to become something... something that was not to be cast aside, as so many people had to her done before. It was something that could be embraced and cared for.  
  
Before this change occurred she had felt alone and weak; sickeningly frightful and selfish in her need to protect herself by always running. She had been a person worthy of despising, a person she herself had come to dislike. Life had made it painstakingly clear she was nowhere near perfect and would never be even remotely close to it.  
  
Still, she had met these people and they had saved her. They were people who would sacrifice their own safety and maybe even their lives, just to help her. They were people who nonchalantly called her 'friend,' and had no idea what a tremendous concept it was for her to grasp. Though things were difficult and confusing they smiled and joked, even though they didn't really know much about her and she had nothing to offer them, they would still go out of their way for her. With the realization of all those things came a vast sense of gratitude and another thing she had never before felt- self worth.  
  
So it was that with the help of Kagome's sleeping tonic, that Yukiko was able to think clearly for the first time in months. There was no battle raging within her, no fear of losing herself in the deep dark corners of her mind. No longer did the voices in her head shout, argue and curse. It was as if they were asleep as well. Their presence was undetectable and not missed.  
  
Yukiko continued to sleep, listening to the soft song of her dream and feeling warm and welcome in the world that had once frightened and resented her. There was a strange warmth upon her dream lips and when she opened her eyes she saw gold and knew that everything would be alright.  
  
~*~  
  
"Jaken,"  
  
The children were beginning to stir from their sleep just as the sky began to light with colors of the rising sun. After Sesshoumaru had sprinted to the castle, the toad-like youkai had been left behind to fend for himself against a few bird youkai who had been lingering around the area. Thanks to the Staff of Heads, he had been able to keep them at bay until they tired and left. He had only just arrived when Sesshoumaru called for him.  
  
"We will need Ah-Un."  
  
After bowing deeply, with his nose almost against the dirt, Jaken scurried off to signal the dragon mount of Sesshoumaru. In one wrinkled, green hand, he held the staff up and pointed it towards the sky, muttering a few words before a green flame spewed from the heads atop the staff. Ah-Un never ventured far from Sesshoumaru, though he kept his distance when he was not used as a pack animal he was always within range waiting to be summoned.  
  
It took barely a minute for the two-headed dragon youkai to arrive, descending quickly from the sky near to where Shippou and Rin were arguing about who made the most noises when they slept.  
  
"Rin, Shippou. We're leaving."  
  
Without a second glance their way, he gathered his jyaki beneath him to form a cloud that rose slowly at first and picked up speed as more energy was put into it. Below him, both children were fighting about yet another inane matter, with Jaken yelling at them from atop Ah-Un. Shaking his head in irritation, Sesshoumaru wondered if perhaps he should just leave them all there.  
  
~*~  
  
Day one: she awoke from the curse. Day two: they reached Sesshoumaru's castle and discovered Rin and Shippou had been kidnapped and left immediately after. Days three-seven: Very depressing travel. Day eight: they discovered the kuroi miko was wearing the form of Midoriko. Day nine: she had formed the plan to keep Yukiko asleep as a means of controlling the spirits.  
  
Kagome counted the days in her head. 'I was told I had two weeks to end the curse. That leaves me... four more days not including this one.'  
  
"How long do you think it will take us to reach there, Sango-chan?"  
  
There were three of them uncomfortably squeezed onto Kirara. Sango had made Miroku ride in the front so that he didn't have an excuse for his hands to wander so much. Behind him was Kirara's owner followed by Kagome. Beneath them, Inuyasha held the slumbering Yukiko, as he became a red blur amongst the forest's trees.  
  
"At the speed we're going we should reach there in about two days," the taijiyaa answered.  
  
Kagome sighed, feeling the wrinkles forming on her brow as she frowned. 'And now I feel like I'm getting old,' she thought, feeling the wrinkled flesh with her fingertips.  
  
"I just don't know what to do..." she whispered to herself.  
  
'How can we defeat her when all she has to do is look at us and we freeze on the spot?'  
  
"Did you say something, Kagome-chan?" Sango said, turning her head to the side so she could get a glimpse of the worried look on her friends face.  
  
"Iie," the miko answered, shaking her head for emphasis, "I was just thinking."  
  
The older girl nodded, "You know, I've been thinking too. I mean we know where the uh, kuroi miko will most likely be but, what exactly are her motives? If she wanted the Shikon no tama she could have taken it from you when she cursed you, right? Then, she told Yukiko to use it to wish for a new body."  
  
"She didn't tell Yukiko that; she told Takehiko... But you're right, there's not really any reason for her to be doing this. We haven't done anything to her, none of us are connected to her in anyway. But that's a good point Sango, why doesn't she want the Shikon no tama?"  
  
They both fell into thoughtful silence, Kagome's mind working diligently, but with very little results. 'They are connected, or they were connected...'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
As always, a huge 'thank you,' for the reviews.  
  
Spirit element: Glad you liked the last chapter, I really enjoyed writing that one too. ^_^ Hope this one wasn't too boring... it's a lot of sitting around and making plans and not much action...  
  
Snow cat: you asked if I were going to go any deeper into the reasons Rin was kidnapped. I'm not really sure, it will be mentioned again because as of right now only Sesshoumaru knows the reason and of course the others will be curious. But in any case, it was basically because the youkai wanted the Shikon no tama, they thought since Kagome was training Rin to be a miko that eventually Rin would sort of inherit the Shikon and if that plan failed, then they would use Rin as a bargaining tool for the Shikon no tama.  
  
Aira^o^: Sorry, no more reasons to beat up Kouga in this fic. Hehe, maybe in my other one though. I got a bit worried when I didn't see a review from you, thought you might have stopped reading. But I'm really glad to see you're still around. Thanks for your continued reading and reviews. 


	17. Possessed

The Path You Follow  
  
By: EvilNekoEatsYourSoul  
  
Author's note: Yes, the story will continue. Thank you to everyone who replied to my author's note and expressed your desire for me to continue this story. It is all greatly appreciated. In any case I'm bringing it to a close within a few chapters and hope to actually complete those chapters before this month is over.  
  
Chapter 16: Possessed  
  
The breeze blew past him, sending her scent to his sensitive nose. 'Kagome was here,' he thought, pausing for a second. 'I can smell her.' But it was faint, indicating that it was a few days old. It hadn't taken them long to reach the Western lands and from there he was able to follow the traces of Kagome's scent in the direction that the group was traveling in. But he just wasn't fast enough, not when he had two children and a useless toad youkai with him. It didn't help that Kagome and her companions were most likely traveling at their greatest speed as well.  
  
Tomorrow evening marked twelve days since Kagome had been cursed, time was running out and he cursed himself for dallying on his mission to retrieve Rin and Shippou. Not that rescuing them had been a waste of time, but he had taken longer then he originally estimated.  
  
They would never catch up to the others in time if they kept the pace they were going at, and yet he could not expect Ah-Un to keep up with his fastest speeds. Reluctant as he was to leave the children in Jaken's care, his worry for Kagome out weighed his distrust in Jaken's ability.  
  
"Jaken,"  
  
"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!" the green one answered enthusiastically.  
  
"I will go ahead, you are to take the children to the castle."  
  
Jaken bowed, his forehead touching the dirt, "Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama."  
  
"And Jaken,"  
  
The smaller youkai cringed, lifting his head to look up at the towering figure that was his master.  
  
"Do not fail me again, Jaken." The warning was clear: 'fail again and die,' and jaken very much doubted that his lord would bring him back to life.  
  
Something was wrong. The earth seemed to be shifting around her, the flask of water shook in her hands as her vision began to blur and refocus again in a dizzying game of chase. One second she could make out the clear, crisp lines of the things and people around her and in the next instant they would be nothing but fuzzy masses of color.  
  
Though she wanted to speak, her tongue felt heavy and useless in her mouth. Things were definitely not right. But what was right? The thought came to her suddenly. A direction, the truth, goodness and reality, love and happiness.  
  
Seeing fingers around worn leather go in and out of focus, she stared at the hand. The slim, elegant fingers blurred together.  
  
It could very well be that she did not have a hand and therefore did not hold a flask. Indeed, she couldn't recall neither having a hand nor a flask. It was possible, but was it likely?  
  
The flask fell away from the hand as the fingers spread, like mice running from a cat. Whether or not the hand or the flask belonged to her had yet to be determined. From her left there was a shrill cry.  
  
The possibility of her being a bird seemed probably and quite desirable since she was already flying above the ground. Well, if she was a bird than the hands obviously weren't hers.  
  
Wings. She wanted to lift her wings and let the breeze lift her higher, wanted to feel it glide through her feathers. But she hadn't the strength, and realizing that made her want to cry. Were birds capable of crying, she thought. Could they smile and laugh or shout?  
  
Not a bird then. If not that, than what was she? Who was she?  
  
"A pawn," someone answered; a high pitched voice, most likely a woman. "A tool," the voice echoed.  
  
Lime a hammer or a wrench? The thought made her want to giggle, but hammers and wrenches certainly did not ever giggle. No, not even pliers giggled.  
  
"Mine," a voice in her mind shouted. It was deep and almost threatening. "Mine," the new voice, it was strange, it brought a smile to her lips.  
  
Lips, she had lips she realized, touching them with the tips of her fingers. They were cold.  
  
What was cold? The fingers? Or was it the lips?  
  
Everything was gold, the gaudy shade cloaked the world.  
  
Whose lips and fingers were these?  
  
"Mine," there was warmth directly in front of her but no object or presence.  
  
Death. It could be the invisible form of death before her, it could be his parched lips and smooth fingers. But death she should be familiar with- death she had seen and had come close to knowing. Death would still touch her at times and was never warm. No, death's caress had always been so cold.  
  
What was warmth? Who did it belong to?  
  
"Me," the voice was just a whisper now.  
  
"Mine," it was all so confusing. Better to just rest, to let go of it all for now and sleep. The flask was unimportant, the hand was just her imagination, it was all false.  
  
"Kagome," she heard, but it was too late to associate that name with her self now. Sleep had already embraced her.  
  
"Kagome! What are you doing?"  
  
The flask was falling, and with it went Kagome's sleeping potion. But before Sango could direct Kirara to try and retrieve the quickly descending object, she noticed Kagome leaning dangerously to the side, about to fall off of her perch on the fire cat. Twisting around, the taijiyaa got a grip on the other girl's hand just as she began to fall.  
  
With her usual calm intelligence, Kirara descended until her paws carefully touched the ground, being sure not to crush the girl hanging from her side. Now that they weren't in danger of falling to their deaths, Sango released Kagome's hand and hopped off of Kirara to see what was wrong with her friend. From a few yards away she could hear Inuyasha calling out for Kagome. Miroku was probably with him if the hanyou hadn't left the monk behind in his haste to find the two girls.  
  
But more importantly, Kagome was lying motionless on the forest floor. It sounded like she was having difficulty breathing, her breaths coming out in gasps and perspiration formed on her brow. There were a few mumbled whispers that the taijiyaa was unable to decipher.  
  
Kagome's body began to shake and not knowing what else to do, Sango placed the other girl's head in her lap and said soothing things. When her eyes opened they were dull, covered by a sheen of white mist and stared blankly at the taijiyaa.  
  
Without warning, Kagome stood, her body swaying with the breeze. Sango approached slowly, feeling uneasy about the situation, hoping Inuyasha and Miroku would hurry up and find them already. The taijiyaa placed a hand upon her friends shoulder. There was no reaction, and then, a blast of purifying energy that sent her stumbling back from the intensity of the light more than any damage done.  
  
Even when the light died down there were still white dots in her vision, everything was blurry. It didn't matter because the absence of heavy breathing told her Kagome was gone. A minute later Inuyasha and Miroku found her.  
  
After a brief explanation, Miroku picked up the slightly dazed Sango, much to the slayers chagrin, and they followed Inuyasha. Seemingly forgotten, Kirara transformed and got a free ride on Miroku's shoulder.  
  
"She's not too far ahead of us, I can smell her," the hanyou said, sniffing the air for confirmation. He shifted Yukiko in his arms to a more comfortable position, and then decided it would be easier to carry her over his shoulder. If it were a conscious Kagome she would protest loudly to being carried in such an undignified manner, but being that the girl was deeply asleep and not nearly as loud as the miko, he thought it safe.  
  
"But what happened? I mean I've already figured out that this has something to do with the curse, but we should still have two days or at least one!"  
  
Miroku stayed silent, frowning thoughtfully and enjoying the feel of Sango's weight in his arms. Inuyasha called back and informed them that Kagome was heading towards the youkai slayer's village. While following Kagome's trail, they forgot about the flask lying lost somewhere in the forest.  
  
It was still bright enough for her to see in the cave, the mirror image of her face caught in stone, surrounded by a mass of demons. It had taken her a long time to remember who she was and longer still to gain the power she now possessed. Her life in general had been too... long. Yes, the years passed by and yet, they never touched her. Always she appeared as youthful as she was the day half of her died.  
  
It was because of the jewel. Something had happened to her two years ago, she had weakened, became ill. Then rumors came, rumors about the Shikon no tama, a girl who shattered the jewel and curiously enough, a hanyou who was helping her find the pieces. It didn't take long for her to see the connection. The Shikon no tama was connected to her, her life depended on its well-being. At the same time, she was wary of the jewel, felt a certain urge to touch it that was unfounded and dangerous. Part of her soul was within the jewel, certainly it wanted to reunite with its missing half. If that happened, she would be lost.  
  
There was a light scraping sound coming from the cave's entrance, sandals against the stone ground. Looking up, the kuroi miko smiled. There it was, the pull of the Shikon no tama, it drained her some, to be in such close contact with it.  
  
While she could control Kagome, there was a thin barrier keeping the girl from completely being hers, it kept her mind unfocused so that her thoughts shifted and couldn't be molded. It was also taking more energy to control the young miko, but that was to be expected with the jewel's keeper.  
  
"Ah, Kagome. There are you are? But where have your friends gotten to?"  
  
The young miko offered no answer, her eyes void of any thought or emotion. Her mind lost somewhere in the haze.  
  
"Well, I'm sure they'll be coming along soon enough."  
  
The zombie-like Kagome took a few steps closer before the kuroi miko held up her hand.  
  
"Keep your distance," the girl stopped moving, "I'm not ready to test my theory out quite yet," she said, eyeing the jewel around Kagome's neck a bit nervously.  
  
"Inuyasha! Matte! We need a plan before we just barge in there." Miroku yelled as he and the now recovered Sango ran after the hanyou.  
  
"Feh! I don't need a plan I'm just gonna go in there kill the stupid bitch and free Kagome!"  
  
"While carrying Yukiko-san?" Miroku asked. They had just entered the Taijiyaa village. Inuyasha halted in his footsteps, turning around to glare at his companions.  
  
"Well, what the hell am I supposed to do with this dumb girl then?"  
  
"Now, now Inuyasha you shouldn't take out your frustrations on a defenseless woman," the monk chided, "In any case we should find a safe spot to leave her in and Kirara can remain there for-,"  
  
Before Miroku could finish an arrow, surrounded by a cloud of pure, pink energy flew past them. Startled, Inuyasha and the rest jumped back, instantly going into their fighting positions. Looking in the direction the arrow had come from they paused.  
  
"Kagome," Sango whispered, lowering Hiraikotsu to rest upon the ground in front of her.  
  
Her body seemed tense as she stood there, head held high and bow held out towards them. As before, her eyes were blank, not recognizing her targets. With quick efficiency, she reached behind her to take another arrow from the quiver and in an elegant arch brought it to the bow.  
  
As she pulled the cord back, taking aim at the nearest one, they remained as they were. None of them thought she would really hurt them, even if she was under the control of the kuroi miko. They knew what a fierce spirit she had and believed that just as she had fought Tsubaki's curse once, she could do so again. There was no hesitation, a second later the arrow went flying towards Sango.  
  
Cursing, Inuyasha rushed towards Kagome, hoping Sango was quick enough to evade the attack. He wasn't fast enough with his movements hindered by the other ningen girl slumped over his shoulder. It was all he could do to jump out of the way when an arrow came flying his way.  
  
Using Hiraikotsu to deflect the arrow that had been aimed at her, Sango gasped, seeing a small crack in her weapon. It was made of demon bones, and Kagome's arrows had the power to purify demons. Despite that fact the attack was deflected and Sango followed Miroku behind the shell of an abandoned hut, out of Kagome's direct range.  
  
Peeking around the wall, Miroku noted that Inuyasha was not directly in sight either. In fact the open space they had been in was completely uninhabited. Kagome was gone.  
  
"Inuyasha!" Miroku called out, there was a noise above them and then the hanyou landed on the ground behind the two humans.  
  
"They're in the cave," Inuyasha said, "We'll leave the girl and Kirara here and go after them."  
  
Looking grim, Sango and Miroku nodded and after placing Yukiko to rest against Kirara they headed towards the cave.  
  
Kagome was waiting at the entrance for them, a dull look on her face. From behind her, deeper within the cave, there was the sound of chanting. Tensing a bit upon hearing the kuroi miko's voice, Inuyasha approached and when he was a little more than an arms length away from her, Kagome turned on her heel and entered the cave.  
  
The group of friends followed. Thankfully the cave wasn't too deep and so the sunlight from outside was enough for them to be able to see. Kneeling in the back of the cave, near the stone images of Midoriko's final battle, the kuroi miko watched them. Amusement lit her eyes, Kagome approached her and she held up her hand.  
  
"Stop Kagome." The miko's footsteps immediately stilled and she stood facing her captor.  
  
Growling low in his throat, Inuyasha unsheathed Tetsusaiga. Behind him, Miroku and Sango were more wary, waiting fearfully to see if the dark woman would freeze them again. Much to their relief and curiosity, she didn't. Instead, she smiled, almost kindly as if she were naught but a gracious hostess welcoming guests for lunch. But in her eyes shone malicious intent.  
  
Without a word, Inuyasha lunged towards her, Tetsusaiga held out before him. Never did the smile leave the face of Midoriko's look-alike.  
  
"Kagome," her voice whispered coolly.  
  
With fast, quiet footsteps the young miko rushed forward to stand before her controller. Letting out yet another string of curses, Inuyasha paused.  
  
"Get out of the way Kagome!" he grabbed her shoulder and was about to push her to the side when her hand grabbed his wrist. As always, her fingers were soft upon his skin and her voice wavered as she looked up at him with those seemingly dead eyes. Caught within her stare, he couldn't move, those eyes were horrible, surrounded by the familiar curves of Kagome's face.  
  
"Inuyasha," and then her eyes closed and a blast of energy sent the hanyou flying back. From behind her, the kuroi miko laughed.  
  
"Ah, if only you could have seen the look on your face, Inuyasha."  
  
With clenched fists, Inuyasha stood and prepared himself for another attack.  
  
"Inuyasha look out!" Miroku called out.  
  
From the corner of his eye, Inuyasha saw movement from behind him. A wave of jyaki was heading towards him but luckily Sango had saw what was happening and shielded it with Hiraikotsu.  
  
Their new enemy stepped forward, eyes shifting constantly in the light. Sango cringed.  
  
"Oh no... Now both of them..."  
  
"Approach," the dark miko called out. Yukiko moved from the caves entrance towards where Kagome and Koridomi were. Inuyasha moved forward to try and grab her but suddenly his body froze, as did Miroku and Sango's as well. Terror and despair filled them; they had taken for granted that she since she had not taken this action immediately that she would not take their mobility from them.  
  
"Enough of this game, Yukiko take the Shikon no tama from Kagome."  
  
Turning to face her friend, Yukiko reached forward and her dainty fingers wrapped around the jewel. Just as she was about to yank it from Kagome's neck a hand came up, shaking terribly. From behind them there was a pain- filled cry. From Kagome's trembling hand, a blast of purifying energy shot out and hit Yukiko in the chest and sent her falling back.  
  
Vigor returned to the limbs of the Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango and they were moving at once. Miroku moved to grab the fallen Yukiko, Inuyasha lunged towards Kagome and Sango was following the Shikon no tama which had been ripped away from Kagome and was now rolling away.  
  
The jewel stopped rolling as it bumped into a pair of black boots. Moving her eyes from where the Shikon had stopped, Sango looked up. Dressed, as always, in impeccable white haori and hakama, Sesshoumaru looked down a bit disdainfully at the taijiyaa. Then as an after thought, he kneeled and picked up the Shikon no tama. Everyone was still as he once again stood and walked further into the cave, a cold glare upon his face.  
  



End file.
